BELAGAVI: The disastrous effects of Covid- 19 and lockdown continue to take a toll on the weaver community, which is poor but large, in different parts of the state.
The relief measure announced by the government to help weavers has hardly helped them, and caught in a deep financial crisis, they have been left wondering whether they would get their businesses back on track at all.
First, it was the floods of 2019 that destroyed powerlooms, raw materials and ready sarees at several units in Belagavi.
Soon after came the Covid pandemic, putting paid to an industry that was just looking up.
Though the government has announced a Rs 100 crore package for weavers, the money is meagre when it reaches an individual, industry experts pointed out.
As per the Textile Department records, there are over 26,000 powerlooms in the district, half of them situated at Shahapur, Vadgaon and Khasbag areas of Belagavi city and the rest in Ramdurg, Nippani and Sulebhavi.
The looms here manufacture drapes that are popularly known as ‘Shahapuri Sarees’ and are mainly sold in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and other states. Parashuram Dhage, Secretary, Belagavi District Weavers’ Association, said, “With the pandemic, no big weddings and functions are being organised, hitting our sales. There has been no demand from other states too. To make matters worse, buyers who had sourced our sarees earlier are not willing to release payments.”
Srinivas Talukar, a weaver from Vadgaon, said, “Though we were literally thrown on the road, the government announced a Rs 2,000 relief per month per family. This is far less than what is being given to other communities, who get Rs 5,000 per month. Weavers who earned Rs 500 per day earlier are now working as construction labourers, farm hands, security guards and even at Covid Care Centres where they are paid Rs 200. Some have slipped into depression as they have no work and are not skilled to take up any other profession. Many have committed suicide as they could not repay loans.”
Vasudev Doddamani, Deputy Director, Textile Department, said, “The families of two weavers who committed suicide have got Rs 2 lakh relief from the Revenue Department. In other suicide cases, the compensation is yet to be released. Cooperative banks have waived off the interest for loans taken by weavers.”
Textiles Minister Shrimant Patil said, “I am aware of the difficulties faced by weavers. I am leaving for New Delhi to meet Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani with some proposals, including subsidies for power supplied to powerlooms set up at the Textile Park in Belagavi and a special package to revive the industry. We had suggested to the government to buy the sarees, which required an allocation of Rs 50 crore, but it is stuck with the Finance Department. I will meet Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa soon to push this proposal. The families of the deceased weavers will get the relief in a week.’’
TANGLE IN THE LOOM