BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will soon link all the 514 primary weavers’ cooperative societies with e-commerce platforms for enabling weavers to sell their products online across the globe.
This was informed by Textiles, Handlooms and Handicrafts Minister Snehangini Chhuria during inauguration of the State-level National Handloom Day here on Monday.The Department is preparing a database of traditional weavers in the State who would be provided identity cards and brought under the cooperative fold. Similarly, in next two years, all weavers of the State would be included in different welfare schemes of the State Government, the Minister said, adding that she has appealed to the Government for tax exemption for handloom sector. “Even the tax slab of five per cent has hit the poor weavers below the belt, “ she stated.
Earlier in June, the State Government had approached GST Council to exempt handloom and handicraft products from the purview of GST. Following this, GST Council decided to reduce the tax from 18 pc to 5 pc. “There are over a lakh traditional weavers in the State whose livelihood depends on selling handloom products. Therefore, GST of even five pc should be exempted,” Chhuria said. At present, handloom products such as Sambalpuri, Bomkai, Maniabandha and Tussar sarees manufactured by the weavers were exempted from tax in a bid to promote its sale and export.
On the occasion, six weavers were felicitated with State Awards in tie and dye, weaving and designing categories by the Handloom and Textiles Department. Members of the weavers cooperative societies, which are more than 75 years-old, were also felicitated.An exhibition of exquisitely-designed handloom products like sarees, bedsheets and fabrics in Ikat and tie and dye was held at Jaydev Bhawan here. Some of the highlights were a fabric on which, the portrait of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was woven and a wall hanging that depicted 13 stages of life of Gautam Buddha. All the works used traditional designs and patterns.