Issues and Challenges of

Handloom Weavers in
East Godavari District, AP
by Teki Surayya, N. Udaya Bhaskar & P. Uma
Maheswari Devi

Aryan Mittal
Ujjawal Jain
Some Interesting Statistics
Source of Master Financial Money
Banks Society Relatives Others Sources of Loan for Meeting Sundry
Loans Weaver Institutions Lenders
Percentage 15 18 18 14 8 25 2 Items

Type of Ownership Percentage Periodicity Percentage

Own 88 Daily 11
Own loom, accessory belongs Weekly 22
7
to master weaver Jacard)
Monthly 12
Installed by master weaver 3
whenever it is required 55
Co-operative society 2

Type of Ownership of Loom Stock Replenishing at Weaver Level

Cause Percentage
No proper incentive and 72.3
training

lack of Opportunity 9.8

No motivation 17.9

Reasons for not working to the full capacity

Issues and Remedies
Policy Interventions:
Hereditary Weaving  Ensuring remunerative wages by building subventions directly weavers based on meterage production
is declining: due to  Subsidized electricity based on number of operating looms on owns/runs
 Contributing new pension scheme at least to 50% of minimum subscription of Rs. 500 per month (250
reduced earnings from weaver and remaining 250 from Government contribution)

Traditional Pit Looms  Research towards improving efficiency of pit looms

(73%) are still  Would enhance productivity and hence increased earnings
 National Institutes can be tasked with the research
prevalent

Debt Traps by Master  Enhancing weaver earnings

Weavers and informal  Providing accessibility to formal financial services that can be offered at cooperative society level
 Effective and efficient implementation of government welfare schemes
banks
Issues and Remedies
88% of the respondents  aggressive marketing campaign and new design improvements
 the youth are also fascinating to wear dresses woven by handlooms.
are weaving sarees:  Unit cost should be brought down by dealing in higher volumes to withstand competition from power
huge demand for Sarees loom dress materials

 50 units per month @ 50% normal rate charged to domestic sector

High power costs  Would enhance productivity and hence increased earnings
 Tamil Nadu which gives free electricity of 50 units and 100 units to handloom and power loom sectors
respectively per month

Only 26% weavers are  have access to formal financial services

having savings bank  especially bank savings, loan and insurance accounts
 Efforts should be augmented by weavers' cooperative societies, concerned Government agencies
account
Issues and Remedies
48% are highly
 insufficient space, as handloom requires different size for installing looms
dissatisfied with the  plots should be allotted so as to install pit loom or stand loom with adequate dimensions
Government  size of the dwelling to the identified weavers should accommodate the required size of loom

housing schemes.

 the scope of MGNREGA should be increased to incorporate handloom weaving

Earnings less than, a  The government should evolve suitable modalities to bring handloom weaving under the aegis of
MGNREGA linked MGNREGA
 The government can assign school uniform, employee uniform and other clothes pertinent to work to
family
recognise weavers' families directly

Lack of incentive and  sometimes weavers prefer to remain idle

remunerative wages  The wage rate has not maintained pace with other sectors wage growing, (Agriculture overtook on
2000s, 3x)
(72%)  They are not enrolling for MGNREGA scheme of government as they respect their occupation