Odisha to formulate state handloom policy soon

Bhubaneswar: With about two lakh families of traditional weavers facing acute financial crisis, state government on Friday decided to formulate a state handloom policy for upgrading socio-economic status of weavers.

"We have been working on a new policy to provide a conducive environment to enable the handloom sector to realise its full potential. The policy will be ready within a month," Chief Secretary B K Patnaik told reporters after holding a meeting of core committee members.

Besides ensuring increase in the financial situation of weavers, the policy would aim to achieve global excellence, Patnaik said adding that traditional weavers would be given market linkage in order to get a good price over their works.

The new policy enumerates growth in productivity vis-à-vis their income, use of new knowledge and know-how, marketability, exploring export possibility in both national and international markets and creating special provisions for weavers’ family.

About 1.92 lakh people associated with handloom sector are likely to be benefited from the new policy, said textile and handloom secretary Arti Ahuja.

Ahuja said, “For weavers, looms are less in the state, so it is not getting remunerative for them. So we need to work towards the growth in their income along with increased productivity and technology upgradation.”  

The state government`s move to formlulate a specific policy for the weavers came after a recent tragic incident where a weaver Uttar Meher of Bargarh district poisoned seven members of his family due to acute poverty.

The policy would ensure that persons engaged in handloom sector did not face problems of marketing, have easy access to yarns and other professional requirements.

The draft policy would be given to the chief minister soon, Ahuja said.