Sankranti bonanza for handloom sector
Rs 5 crore dues to be released to cooperative societies
Amaravati: Handloom and Textiles Minister S Savita has announced welcome Sankranti news for handloom cooperative societies in the State, directing the release of Rs 5 crore towards pending dues. Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (APCO) has decided to clear the arrears, which will be credited to the bank accounts of handloom cooperative societies on Monday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Minister said that another tranche of pending payments related to the procurement of handloom products from cooperative societies is being released. She recalled that APCO had already paid Rs 2.42 crore towards pending dues in the previous month. Keeping Sankranti festival in view, Minister Savita instructed APCO management to immediately release an additional Rs 5 crore, providing much-needed financial relief to handloom sector.
As per her directions, APCO has made arrangements to deposit the amount directly into the accounts of handloom cooperative societies.
The Minister said the coalition government is giving top priority to strengthening the financial position of handloom cooperatives. Several welfare schemes are being implemented to ensure direct benefits to individual weavers, while additional initiatives are being rolled out to provide collective benefits through cooperative societies.
Minister Savita stated that along with clearing pending dues, the government has also resumed fresh procurement of handloom products. She reiterated that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision is to ensure dignified livelihoods for weavers and provide employment opportunities to them throughout the year.
The Minister said that while implementing welfare schemes for weavers, the government is simultaneously creating strong marketing support for handloom products. To boost sales, agreements have been entered into with Co-Optex, Tata Taneira, and Aditya Birla Group.
She added that online sales of handloom garments have been launched through major e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart, Amazon, JioMart, and ONDC.
To meet the preferences of younger generation, ready-made handloom garments are being produced and sold through APCO showrooms as well as online platforms. Training is also being provided to weavers in the production of ready-made garments. With the support extended by the coalition government, handloom sales have witnessed unprecedented growth, the Minister noted. Welcoming the release of Rs 5 crore ahead of Sankranti, representatives of handloom cooperative societies and weavers expressed happiness and conveyed their gratitude to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Savita for their continued support to the handloom community.
