Telangana’s BRS Working President and MLA KTR extended his heartfelt congratulations to handloom workers on National Handloom Day. He described the BRS regime as a “golden era” for the handloom industry.
KTR reminisced about his father’s visionary leadership that revitalized the handloom sector. He noted that while the Union budget allocated only Rs. 600 crores over six years for handlooms, the BRS government significantly increased annual funding to Rs. 1200 crores along with introducing revolutionary schemes.
The initiatives mentioned were the “Cheneta Mitra” savings scheme, offering a 50 percent subsidy, and the “Netannaku Bima” insurance scheme, which provides a guarantee of Rs. 5 lakh. Additionally, 36,000 individuals have supported the families of weavers, and loan waivers amounting to Rs. 29 crores have been granted to 10,150 handloom workers.
The BRS government also implemented a support pension for artisans and planned significant projects, such as an apparel park in Sirisilla and the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal.
KTR criticized the current government, Congress, and BJP for their harmful impact on the handloom sector. He pointed to the introduction of GST on handloom cloths, the abolition of various schemes, and the reduction of yarn subsidies as factors that have worsened the industry’s struggles. He also condemned the cancellation of the Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bhima Yojana, an insurance scheme, and the crisis faced by weaver families under Revanth’s rule.
KTR requested the current governments to take immediate action to rescue the handloom sector from its ongoing crisis and ensure the continuation of successful schemes introduced by the BRS regime.