The YSR Congress chief, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, came down heavily against the Congress government for neglecting handloom weavers in the state.

Concluding his 48-hour Cheneta Deeksha at Dharmavaram in Anantapur district on Tuesday, Mr Jagan criticised the state government for its failure to address the problems of weavers, whose income was a mere Rs.600 a week, if the entire family works on it, at an average of Rs.25 a day for a person.

Addressing a huge gathering, the YSR Congress chief said, “The situation of weavers in the state is pathetic,” pointing to 18 handloom weavers’ suicides out of which 15 of them were from Dharmavaram in the last two years.

He questioned the government whether it knew the plight of weavers and did they ever come to console those bereaved families.

He added that the government was lame and not in a position to think about the problems of weavers.

Referring to the lopsided increase of 80 to 200 per cent in the raw material of handloom saris, Mr Jagan called government into question, asking how a weaver could survive with a mere 10 to 15 per cent hike on sari prices.

Seeking a 100-unit free power on the lines of Tamil Nadu government, he said that the government should give importance to both handloom and powerloom sectors.

Recalling the Rs.312 crore loan waiver package to weaver community announced by former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, the YSR Congress chief blamed that the government is trying to water down all the welfare plans aimed at poverty alleviation, initiated by YSR.

He blamed TD chief Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu for destroying the Janata sari scheme initiated by former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao in support of the handloom sector.

He demanded that government give 25 paise loans and pensions to weavers.

Demanding that government immediately pay dues under fee reimbursement scheme, Mr Jagan hoped of a positive response from government in resolving the issues of weavers.