Bhubaneswar: Even as a massive 1.5 crore in Odisha have opened bank accounts under PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the eye-opening fact is only 29 per cent weavers in State have bank accounts. But Aadhar card saturation among weavers stood at a high of 97 per cent in Odisha.
As per the Fourth All India Handloom Census- 2019-20 released recently by Union Ministry of Textiles, Odisha has a total of 53,472 weavers. And only 15, 826 have bank accounts in the State, when a total of 52,031 weavers in the State have Aadhar cards.
These facts seem very startling when both the Centre and State governments have been implementing many welfare schemes for weavers with DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) as a component.
Another big ramification has been as less than one-third of weavers have access to institutional credit, role of private moneylenders seems very big in weaver credit market in the State. And the disconcerting fact is they charge exorbitant interest rates, which creates a vicious cycle of debt among weavers in the State, many study reports suggest. Reports of debt-ridden suicides have been reported in the State.
It needs reminding here that suicide by a traditional weaver Uttar Meher and his family members in Bargarh nearly 8-years ago had compelled the State government then to rope in international fashion designers to bring improvement in designs of fabrics. And later the State has announced a new handloom policy.
But the 2019 handloom census findings look little enthusing.
According to the 2019 Handloom census, nearly 70 per cent of weavers in the State belong to other backward classes (OBC), and while over 94 per cent belong to Hindu religion, around 2.3 per cent are Buddhists - the highest in country. In contrast, nationally, Muslims form the second largest weaver community.
The census throws a poor light on educational attainment of weavers in the State. When 7.6 per cent weavers have never attended school in Odisha, only 2.6 per cent are graduates. Nearly one-third (31%) could attend up to primary schools only, and another 20 per cent are educated up to middle standards in the State, census findings show.