NFHH seeks special package for handloom sector as rising raw material costs leaves weavers in despair

Amaravati, April 21 (KNN) The National Federation of Handlooms and Handicrafts (NFHH) has urged the central government to provide special package for the handloom sector to provide relief to weavers who are drastically hit by the rising raw material costs.

In a meeting with Upendra Prasad Singh, Textiles Secretary in New Delhi, Macherla Mohan Rao President of NFHH and other weavers’ representative explained the wretched state of the weavers and requested immediate measures to save the lives and livelihoods of handloom weavers.

They informed the secretary with details of the victims including the suicide of a handloom weavers' family from Pedana of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, and a power loom workers' family from Katnapalli in Karimnagar district in Telangana.

Stressing on the rising costs of raw material, the representatives explained that the weavers are left in a state of despair due to the artificial scarcity and the abnormal increase in prices of yarn including the zari by 20 to 25 per cent, silk by 56 to 68 per cent, cotton by 70 per cent since the last two years.

They also requested the central government to direct the state governments to bring all weavers under the cooperative societies of handlooms and protect their rights and called for support under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. (KNN Bureau)