The Telangana government today issued Government Order No 56, waiving loans of up to Rs 1 lakh for handloom workers.
To facilitate this, the government has sanctioned Rs 33 crore.
Textiles Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said that Rs 290.09 crore had already been disbursed under the Netannaku Cheyutha scheme, benefiting 36,133 handloom workers, and Rs 494.48 crore had been released to TGSCO, clearing pending payments to handloom cooperative societies MACS and other weavers' organisations.
He also said that the government had introduced several policies to support handloom workers who he claimed were neglected under the previous administration.
"As soon as we came to power, we issued GO Ms No 1, mandating that government departments, organizations and federations purchase textiles from TGSCO (Telangana State Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Society) and TESCO. This initiative not only ensures continuous employment for weavers but also strengthens the overall handloom industry. That is just one of several measures we took for the benefit of the weavers," the minister said.
Rao said that the government was committed to ensuring steady employment for handloom workers by regularly purchasing stock from cooperative societies and releasing payments without delays.
As per reports, the government has also revamped the Nethanna Bima Scheme, increasing the insurance coverage to Rs 10 lakh and removing the age limit, ensuring lifelong insurance protection for all active weavers.
filed in:Telangana, Loans, Loan Waivers, Handloom & Textiles, Social Welfare