Hyderabad: The Telangana state government is set to make wearing of Sircilla handloom and powerloom clothes mandatory for government employees once a week to help weavers who have been reeling for 25 years under the impact of the liberalisation in 1991.
Besides, there are plans to supply Sircilla sarees at subsidised rates through ration shops for the poor. IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, who represents Sircilla in the Assembly, submitted proposals to this effect to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for approval.
The government is likely to make an announcement in this regard in the ongoing Legislature session. Over 450 weavers in Sircilla have committed suicide in the last two decades, having failed to compete with large textile mills.
The state has 3.5 lakh employees and government hopes that weavers could get orders worth Rs 35 crore every year even if each employee purchase clothes worth Rs 1,000 per year.
Mr Rama Rao has been working to eradicate poverty among Sircilla weavers for the past year. Last year, the government placed orders worth Rs 45 crore with weavers to supply free uniforms for government school children and decided to continue it every year.
The government has now asked all other departments to procure clothes only from Sircilla weavers. The government plans to launch a scheme along the lines of the ‘Janata Clothes scheme’ that was implemented by the erstwhile NTR government to supply clothes at subsidised rates.
“We have lined up several schemes and programmes for the weavers, which would ensure guarenteed bulk orders every year. All these are under active consideration of government and will be announced very soon. We want to ensure 100 per cent employment and financial stability to weavers,” Mr Rao said.
Besides, the government has plans to supply 16 lakh free sarees to women in self-help groups on the occasion of Bathukamma every year, for which the orders would be placed with Sircilla weavers.
