Handloom weavers came in for a surprise when Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh announced on December 4 that the Government would provide loans to local handloom weavers of primary cooperative societies coming under Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Society.
Loans will be provided at the rate of 3 percent which is commonly known as 'Pavala vaddi'. This implies that handloom weavers will be charged much less compared to the 11 percent interest rate exacted earlier.
Nearly 700 cooperatives will qualify for this loan charged at 3 percent and the remaining 8 will be paid by the Government. While announcing the policy Chief Minister observed,"the extension of the scheme to weavers would place an additional burden of Rs10 crore on the exchequer annually."
Further Mr Reddy also confirmed that the scheme would not be applicable to weavers outside the cooperative domain saying,"This category of weavers is already self-sufficient".
Apart from this, the Government has also decided to bring together handloom weavers under the health insurance scheme which subsidizes 90 percent of the contribution to be made for premium. Instead of paying Rs781, the weaver would only have to pay Rs50 annually. Again, the Government would pay the remaining balance of Rs731 annually on behalf of the weavers.
If this was not enough, the Government had another package of incentive in store for the weavers. The Chief Minister declared to sanction a 10 percent subsidy on all purchases of yarn, dyes and chemicals to the handloom weavers. With such measures being taken it is hoped that the weaving sector in Andhra Pradesh would thrive and see a brighter future.
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