THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The handwoven cotton weaves in distinctive shades have not only become a favourite showstopper of fashion buffs, but the elegance and simplicity of the handloom uniform have even won the hearts of young children in the state as well.
A social impact assessment conducted by the National Institute of Fashion Technology on the free handloom uniform scheme of the state government has found around 78 per cent of students who took part in the survey claimed it’s an all-weather weave, one that can be worn on all seasons.
The report submitted to the state government stated 98 per cent of the students expressed satisfaction in the quality of the stuff they wear, including its durability, comfort, and texture of the material, while another 63 per cent testified the handloom uniforms are even worth on the playgrounds.And 93 per cent of the students confirmed they know the fact that the dress they wear is woven by weavers in handlooms and are proud of about it.
The survey also shed light on the social well-being of the weavers who are engaged in the weaving of handloom fabric for the students under the scheme.
Around 82 per cent who took part in the survey from weaver societies are women and 85 per cent of them belong to backward communities comprising OBC-66 per cent, SC-13 per cent and ST-6 per cent.
Around 96 per cent of the weavers testified the government scheme has enhanced their earnings, while 90 per cent responded the scheme has raised their living standard and 80 per cent said the scheme has also increased their savings as well.
K Sudhir, director of Handlooms and Textiles, said Kerala is the lone state in the country which provides free cent per cent handloom uniforms to the students in government schools in the state and hearing about the success of the project, a delegation from Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh recently visited the state to study the project.
38 lakh metres of fabric
According to him, the weavers’ cooperative societies (WCSs) registered under the Director of Handlooms and Textiles would be weaving around 38 lakh metre handloom fabric, including shirting, suiting and skirting to distribute among 8.5 lakh students in the state for 2019-20 academic year, against the 23 lakh m it distributed among 4.5 lakh students in the state in the current academic year. The state government has an ambitious plan to cover the entire students in the government schools (from Class I to VII) and all students in aided schools (from Class I to VI) in the academic year 2020-21 for which the directorate expects a total cost of `170 crore.
Around 60-70 per cent of the project outlay constitutes wages of the weavers. Though the August flood has affected the livelihood means of the weavers in central Kerala and southern Kerala, more than 90 per cent of the weavers are active now. Out of the 5,200 weavers engaged in the weaving under the scheme before the flood, more than 4,900 have resumed weaving, he said.