Telangana Govt to Launch Indiramma Sarees Scheme for Bathukamma

 Hyderabad: The state government is preparing to distribute two saris to each of the 65 lakh women members of self-help groups (SHGs) during the Bathukamma festival from September 21 to 30. Within the GHMC limits, nearly 11 lakh women are expected to receive the saris.

Official sources said that the scheme is likely to be renamed after Indira Gandhi, replacing the previous BRS government’s ‘Bathukamma saris scheme’ to align with the Congress’ flagship welfare schemes. Alongside, the government is planning Bathukamma festivities on a grand scale, including an event at LB Stadium on September 28 where it expects to set a Guinness World Record by mobilising more than 10,000 women. To facilitate this, nearly 150 RTC buses will be pressed into service.

The government has placed an order for 1.3 crore saris at an estimated cost of Rs 480 crore, with the plan of giving two saris each to 65 lakh SHG women per year. This is against the previous BRS government distributing saris to one crore women with white ration cards once every Bathukamma.

Introduced in 2017, the BRS scheme was criticised for poor quality. Several women refused to accept them, and in many villages the saris were used for agricultural purposes, particularly at paddy procurement centres as makeshift tarpaulins.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy decided to continue the scheme but promised to improve the quality and distribute them to members of women SHGs . No saris were distributed last year, but the Chief Minister announced that this year every SHG woman would receive two durable saris.

The government has placed bulk orders with the handloom sector in Sircilla, a town with a large concentration of weavers. Directions were issued to produce 65 lakh saris, requiring about nine crore metres of fabric in two phases. The initiative also dovetails with Congress’ election promise of providing sustained employment to handloom workers. In February, orders worth ₹318 crore were released under the ‘Indira Mahila Shakti’ scheme to boost sari production.

Nearly 6,000 weavers have been engaged in the process, earning an average monthly income of ₹20,000. Production gathered momentum from April after wages were finalised, and so far around 40 lakh saris have been completed. The scheme is being supervised by Commissioner for Handlooms and Textiles, Shailaja Ramaiyar. Sources said that only high-quality fabric is being used, unlike in the past when cheap polyester was supplied. Each sari, they noted, would cost about ₹800, ensuring both durability and elegance.