Welfare of weavers is paramount to government: Andhra Pradesh CM

The Andhra Pradesh government has extended aid of Rs 24,000 to each beneficiary of Nethanna Nestham having their own loom.
A woman beneficiary of YSR Nethanna Nestham ties Rakhi to CM Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalli on Tuesday. (Photo | Express)
A woman beneficiary of YSR Nethanna Nestham ties Rakhi to CM Jagan Mohan Reddy at Tadepalli on Tuesday. (Photo | Express)

VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating his commitment to the economic uplift of handloom weavers, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, said the State government released Rs 192.08 crore under the YSR Nethanna Nestham Scheme despite facing financial crunch due to Covid-19.

Addressing handloom weavers virtually after directly transferring Rs 192.08 crore to the bank accounts of 80,032 beneficiaries of Nethanna Nestham, he said the government had provided e-marketing facility to handloom products through APCO and it also ensured that APCO brand is visible on e-commerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon.

Recalling his interaction with handloom weavers during his 3,648 km Praja Sankalpa Yatra, Jagan said, “I saw their problems from close quarters and promised to help them. I have been striving to fulfill all the promises made during my padayatra after assuming power as the Chief Minister.”   

The government has extended an aid of Rs 24,000 to each beneficiary of Nethanna Nestham having a own loom. “We felt that the financial problems being faced by the government due to Covid were not big compared to that of handloom weavers. Hence, we released the aid to beneficiaries of Nethanna Nestham on time for the third consecutive year,” he explained.

Stating that no other State i s implement ing more schemes than AP for the welfare of handloom weavers, he said a total sum of Rs 1,000 crore will be spent on Nethanna Nestham alone over a period of five years. “Under the scheme, each beneficiary will get a total aid of Rs 1.2 lakh in five years, which will help them stabilise their source of income. We have extended an aid of Rs 72,000 to each beneficiary in three tranches. A total sum of Rs 576 crore has been spent for implementation of Nethanna Nestham,” he elaborated.

The amount credited to the account of beneficiary will not be adjusted to his old dues if any by banks. Weavers who are eligible and left out from Nethanna Nestham, can still apply for the benefit within a month by visiting village and ward secretariats, he said. Jagan said the previous TDP regime spent only Rs 259 crore for the welfare of weavers during its five-year tenure.

“In fact, we cleared dues to the tune of Rs 103 crore of the previous TDP government to APCO and other cooperative societies. The government had also purchased cloth from APCO for making face masks and placed orders for uniforms of schoolchildren, taking the total amount spent for the uplift of weavers to Rs 1,600 crore,” he said.

80,032 get Rs 192 crore 
As many as  80,032 hand-loom weavers in the State got Rs 192 crore aid under Nethanna Nestham at the rate of Rs 24,000 each for their economic uplift

Eligible can  apply for aid
Weavers who are eligible and left out from YSR Nethanna Nestham, can still apply for the benefit within a month, CM Jagan said.

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