Name : Akash Paul

Roll No: 2007

Room No: 14

TOPIC : Contribution fo Khadi Handloom Industry as the 1st

and pioneer agency in the Rural Market in India.

Over the centuries handlooms have come to be associated with excellence in

India's artistry in fabrics. Right from the ancient times, the high quality of Indian
handloom products like muslin of Chanderi, silk brocades of Varanasi, the tie and
dye products of Rajasthan and Orissa, the Chintas of Machhlipatnam, the himroos
of Hyderabad, the Khes of Punjab, the prints of Farrukhabad, the Phenek and
Tongam and bottle designs of Assam and Manipur, the Maheshwari sarees of
Madhya Pradesh and the Patola sarees of Baroda have been famous all over.

The art and craft traditions since almost the dawn of civilisation has been kept
alive despite sweeping changes due to continuous efforts of generations of artists
and craftsmen who weaved their dreams and visions into exquisite handloom
products.

The handloom industry now provides livelihood to over 90 million people in the
country. It continues to be craft-oriented, even though it was circumscribed by a
limited choice of processing and technology. During the first half of the present
century there was very little effort to develop the handloom sector and the
handloom weavers were pitted against modern textile mills. They struggled to
survive not only against the unfair competition but also against the unscrupulous
middlemen who did everything to ensure that the weavers remained in perpetual
debt trap. It is a tribute to their ingenuity and skill that they succeeded in
preserving the long tradition of excellence in hand-weaving, dyeing, in-printing and
craftsmanship.

To consolidate efforts made during the earlier Plans and enhance the
competitiveness of the handloom sector, a new orientation has been given to the on-
going schemes during the Ninth Five Year Plan. A Workshed-cum-Housing Scheme
has been initiated to provide a conducive production environment and basic
necessity of life to the handloom weavers.

Encouragements provided for Khadi Handloom Industry

Under the scheme, Rs.47.46 crore has been released to 19 States for providing
workshed and workshed-cum housing facilities to over eighty thousand weavers.
During the Ninth Five Year Plan the Government of India's assistance to the
handloom weavers has been enhanced from Rs.4,000 to Rs.7,000 crore for rural
workshed and from Rs.14,000 to Rs.18,000 crore rural workshed-cum-housing. The
assistance for urban workshed is Rs.10,000 and for urban workshed-cum-housing
Rs.20,000.

National Awards are given every year to Master Weavers in recognition of their
excellence in craftsmanship and contribution to the primary handloom weavers
cooperative societies for their excellent performance in this field. The assistance
for organising National Handloom Expos gas been enhanced to Rs.38 lakh. The
restrictions on participation of various organisations have also been removed. The
Government is subsidising 50 per cent of the space rent, electricity and water
charges besides making a handsome provision for publicity to attract buyers.

The Government has also revised the insurance-cum-health package scheme to

look after the welfare of the handloom weavers. Under this scheme, insurance
cover would be available to the handloom weavers against natural calamities and
personal accidents in addition to the coverage of hospitalisation and maternity
benefits. In case of death the insurance cover would be Rs.1 lakh.

Looking back, there has been a substantial progress in the handloom sector in
India. This story of the Indian handlooms in the last 50 years is one of patient
nurturing of an industry which touches upon the livelihood of millions of Indians.

Upcoming of Khadi handloom Industry in Kerela.

The drive began with the government making a call to Keralites to wear khadi and
handloom clothes at least once a week. This call had the desired results and
different sections of the society, including students and government employees,
volunteered to wear such clothes.

The wages of khadi and handloom workers have been revised. The government
contributed Rs.1 crore to the Khadi Workers Welfare Fund. After clearing the
rebate arrears, a revival grant of Rs.75 crore was given to various institutions
involved in khadi production and Rs.70 lakh each to the cooperative societies.

As many as 1,100 industrial units were set up with an investment of Rs.75 crore and
a margin money grant of Rs.18.77 crore. Thus, employment opportunities were
provided to 31,173 people in this sector. Infrastructure was developed at a cost of
Rs.1 crore. This paved the way for improving the quality of the products.

The 712 registered khadi units, 320 cooperative societies and 9,180 individual units
are now annually producing goods estimated at Rs.128.2 crore. This is being
marketed at Rs.143.66 crore. Such support has helped the industry come out of the
crisis and acquire the latest designs and techniques so that it can compete with the
branded products flooding the market.

A similar attempt was made for the modernisation of the handloom industry too.
Conscious moves were made for changing the attitude of the handloom workers and
also thrust was laid on developing infrastructure. Considering the fact that the
practices in the industry have become obsolete, the first step was to link it with
the fashion industry. Balaramapuram in the capital and Kannur are the main
handloom production centres. A centre of the National Institute of Fashion
Technology was set up in Kannur at a cost of nearly Rs.70 crore.

The khadi handloom Industry in now getting a proper hype by evn the government.
Even the workers in this field are getting renowned for their work.

Concluding the topic I will say that Indian Govt. must do many more things to uplift
our Khadi and Handloom culture.