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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Tragedy looms -Swati Sharma

Tragedy looms -Swati Sharma

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published Published on Apr 16, 2015   modified Modified on Apr 16, 2015
-The New Indian Express

If the Government of India writes off the Handloom Reservation Act, more than one lakh weavers in Telangana and AP will be affected, fears All India Federation of Handloom Organisations
 
The handloom sector which is one of the biggest is always caught in the vicious cycle of low demand, massive unemployment, dwindling incomes and starvation deaths. This time, the problem has been compounded by the Government of India that is going to write off Handloom Reservation Act, that has been protecting the sector till date.

“Without this Act, the market will be flooded with cheap textiles,” says B Syama Sundari, Dastkar Andhra, Telangana, adding, “The presuppositions are too broad and general. One thing that the sector is troubled with is not lack of demand. It is a fact that income from weaving does not match the aspirations of current times. Generally weavers wanting to earn more migrate to other professions. They do not stay and starve. That is the story of handloom weaving today,” she points.

The All India Federation of Handloom Organisations submitted a memorandum to the Development Commissioner Handlooms office and the Textiles Ministry, protesting against the move to revise or scrap the Reservation Act.

Syama also rues that the All India Federation of Handloom Organisations has been doing a lot on the ground only to be faced with indifference from the State Governments.  

“The Federation is conducting satyagrahas and meetings across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh for the past year and a half demanding strict implementation of the Act. State Governments avoid the issue by pointing out that they do not have adequate staff, enough vehicles and even police support. It is clear that there is a lack of sincerity of purpose about the implementation of the Act in the Enforcement department. There seems to be no motivation in the Department of Handlooms to strengthen the Enforcement department. The overall apathy clearly indicates the intention of the Handloom department,” she explains.

Explaining how the handloom market caters to a certain section for a reason, Uzramma from the Decentralised Yarn Spinning Trust, Secunderabad, Telangana says, “Handloom products, being labour intensive cannot be produced for the mass market and cannot be cheap. Handloom products must be marketed to niche clients who appreciate the value of hand made products and are willing to pay for them.”.

If the Government makes the move to tamper with the legislation, the The All India Federation of Handloom Organisations will intensify the satyagraha and inform public about the autocratic manner in which the Department of Handlooms is operating, she says.

“It is true that the implementation of the Handloom Reservation Act leaves a lot to be desired. But in the face of a strong opposition from the powerloom lobby, there is no option but to hang on to the meagre protection offered by the Act. Government should not bow down to pressure from groups with large capital and better lobbying power,” says Uzramma and adds that each sector should be recognised by its strength and its merits and not be compared with mill and powerloom.

Though the share of handloom in total textile production is only 11 per cent and the earnings from the sector in 2013-14 was `2812 crore, it provides employment to 44 lakh weaver families across the country. Uzramma believes that  lack of seriousness of purpose on part of the Government is the only reason for the continuing problems in handloom sector.

Do they sense strong powerloom lobby behind the move?  “Yes,” replies Uzramma and Syama adds, “There is no problem to be addressed. The current move to revise the Act is only to seize the demand for the handloom in the market. Powerloom imitations masquerading as handloom is the actual issue. They want legitimation for their present practice of deceit.”

The Organisation also feels that there is an underlying purpose for this sudden move to revise the Act at such a short notice by the office of the Development Commissioner of Handlooms. “Due to strong pressure from the anti-handloom lobby the Department has initiated this measure. Otherwise there is no sufficient reason for calling for a meeting to review the Act. The poor implementation of the Act has already affected the handloom industry badly. So much so that today 70 per cent of the fabric sold as Khadi and handloom in the country is powerloom. The demand for the handloom fabric is appropriated by cheap powerloom imitations and the customer is cheated,” says Syama.

Even the Textiles Commissioner’s office also found several thousands of powerlooms making items reserved for handlooms.

If the Government of India writes off the Handloom Reservation Act more than one lakh weavers in Telangana and AP will be affected. “There has to be an acceptance of the actual contribution of handloom to the total textile production. The potential of creating skilled employment through promotion of handloom sector in rural India has not been explored with a sincerity of purpose. The main reason is the poor budgetary allocation to the sector and the designing of policies without taking into consideration the specific needs of the sector. All the schemes are drafted with a premise of increasing production through mechanisation. This has again and again proved detrimental to the growth of handloom sector,” says Syama.

Have they received a response from the Textile Ministry yet? She responds, “No. The Development Commissioner Handlooms office and the secretary, Textiles are silent. I have sent the memorandum to both offices.”


The New Indian Express, 15 April, 2015, http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Tragedy-Looms/2015/04/15/article2764311.ece#


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