ERODE: Powerloom weavers have requested the state government to pass a resolution in legislative assembly to urge the union government to enact a legislation for the sector similar to The Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production Act) of 1985 which prohibits other sectors from producing goods they make. The federation has sent a letter to Chief Minister M K Stalin in this regard.
B Kandavel, Tamil Nadu Federation of Powerloom Associations joint coordinator, said, “The powerloom industry is the second largest employment provider in India after agriculture. There are around 25 lakh powerlooms across India and around 5.4 lakh powerlooms are operating in Tamil Nadu alone. More than 1 million workers are directly and indirectly earning their livelihood across the state and most of them are women from rural areas.”
He added, “Over the past 20 years, the import of second-hand auto looms from several including China has been increasing. Instead of producing value-added textiles, auto looms are producing fabric that are produced on powerlooms. As a result, the industry has declined and many powerloom units have out of business. Currently, about 30 per cent of powerloom units in Tamil Nadu are closed due to lack of work which affects livelihood of workers.”
He added “The central and state governments should take steps to protect the powerloom industry. The government should allocate textile varieties for powerlooms. For this, the central government should enact a separate legislation for powerloom because textile varieties have already been allocated for handlooms.”