Lucknow, Dec 2 (KNN) The Uttar Pradesh government has recently approved the proposal for energising the powerloom and handicraft sector with solar power in a phased manner, said a government spokesperson in a statement on Thursday.

Connecting handlooms and powerlooms with solar energy in a phased manner is in line with chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s intention to make UP the textile hub of the country. As this scheme is to be implemented in a phased manner, the decision of the UP Cabinet is expected to gradually end the dependence of weavers on electricity, he said.

Under the proposed scheme, general category weavers and those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category will get a subsidy of 50 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively.

The state has a rich tradition of textile industry for centuries with handloom coming first, followed by powerloom. A total of 34 districts of UP are dominated by handlooms while the number of handlooms, handloom weavers and weavers’ cooperatives are 1.91 lakh, 0.80 lakh and 20,421 respectively, he added.

As per the plan, the Uttar Pradesh government will provide incentives to weavers using solar energy in their workshops and also provide them with solar inverters. This will not only help in saving energy, but also lead to manufacturing of eco-friendly products, improving the quality of production. With increased production, the price will also be competitive compared to similar products in the market.

The state government has allocated Rs 10 crore in the budget to energise the powerlooms sector with solar power. In this sequence, the government is working on a plan to link 50,000 weavers of Varanasi with the bank for their uplift and to ensure that dearth of capital does not become a hurdle in their work. The weavers will also get grants under the ODOP scheme.

As per reports, the government will run a campaign to link 50,000 weavers with banks. It was decided in the meeting of the MSME department and bankers that relaxation will be given in formalities as per the requirement in this regard.  (KNN Bureau)