K T Rama Rao asks Smriti to help out Sircilla weavers
Hyderabad: The state government has requested the Centre to establish a mega power loom cluster in Sircilla, as part of the Comprehensive Power Loom Cluster Development Scheme.
In his letter to Union textimes minister Smriti Irani, handlooms minister K.T. Rama Rao said there were about 36,000 powerlooms in Sircilla.
“The looms are not being upgraded and the power consumption is increasing. Due to the lack of investment, workers have to rely on traders for raw materials. Besides, shortage of skilled workers and infrastructure is troubling Sircilla,” he wrote.
Mr Rao said that there had been a substantial improvement in the powerloom sector provided in Erode (Tamil Nadu) and Bhiwandi (Maharashtra) after the cluster was set-up. On similar lines, the cluster needs to be set up in Sircilla.