After years of witnessing the weavers getting dragged to the state of apathy, the Central Government has finally thought of bringing this class of the society into prominence by according them with the dignity, respect and recognition they deserve.
Recently, the Union Government has decided to initiate a calculation of the total number of weavers in the country in order to give voice to their needs and demands. Furthermore, it has also worked out a plan to distribute photo ID cards to make the entire industry more systematic and the weavers more easily traceable.
This announcement was made on December 9 by Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Commerce. According to the statement made by the minister, photo ID cards will be distributed in the coming year and head count of weavers would help Government to devise policies conducive to the interests of the industry.
Besides, the ruling Government would also assist the establishment of three new clusters in Benaras that would operate together with the three existing ones in Lohta, Kotwa and Ramnagar areas of the city.
While the new clusters would receive an annual aid of Rs60 lakhs, the existing ones would be provided with a sum of 2 crores each. The Mahatma Gandhi Life Insurance Scheme and the ICICI Lombard Health Insurance Scheme will also be made available to the weavers. This apart, the Government has also promised to ignore the handloom electricity dues amounting to around Rs4 lakh.
The waning weaving industry is facing a near collapse and the country has already suffered enough from the losses incurred by the closure of many units. Until concrete measures are taken, it would be difficult to see the situation look otherwise.
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