Keeping in mind the welfare of one and all in the textile industry, the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) has proposed several measures for the uplift of workers under the Schedules Caste category in the industry. To concretise these measures, it has allocated Rs 167.5 crore for the current fiscal.
The Ministry has formulated a clear-cut sector-wise plan for the welfare and development of weavers, handicraft artisans, sericulture workers, besides jute workers, entrepreneurs and others operating within the sector, with special focus on those falling under the SC category.
In the powerloom sector, for instance, the government has modified the existing In-Situ Upgradation Scheme for Plain Powerlooms, so that SC weavers can get higher subsidy for powerloom upgradation. To be exact, the government will provide financial assistance of 75 per cent of the cost of upgradation, with a maximum subsidy of Rs 60,000 per loom.
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Similarly, the Group Insurance Scheme for powerloom workers, which was earlier divided between weavers, GOI and LIC, with a share of Rs 80, Rs 290 and Rs 100 respectively, will be now divided into two parts, ie Government and LIC. The government’s share has gone up to Rs 370 per weaver. The weaver’s share will now be borne by the government.
In the silk sector, a special scheme aiming to cover around 1,000 SC families in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, J&K, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh has been prepared with an outlay of Rs 24 crore.
The government has introduced a slew of initiatives for Handloom and Handicrafts sectors as well.