YSR Nethanna Nestham Launch At Dharmavaram On December 21

AMARAVATI: In pursuance of the policy of weaving the social fabric with welfare texture, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch YSR Nethanna Nestham at Dharmavaram in Anantapur district on Saturday.

About 85, 000 weavers will be given Rs 24, 000 annually under the scheme which is an offshoot of his 3, 648 km walkathon -Praja Sankalpa Yatra, during which he had interacted with various sections of people.

The launch coincides with the birthday of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and he adds one more feather to his already colorful hat by fulfilling one more promise made to the weaving community which has a population of 2,26,594.

The aim of YSR Nethanna Nestham is to make the handloom weavers more competitive by upgrading their equipment. The State will be spending Rs 204 crores for the scheme under which Rs 24,000 will be paid in the month of December every year.

The weaving community was neglected by the previous government and not even five per cent of budget allocation were spent. Apart from the evasion of the promised amount to the weavers, Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (APCO) has to receive Rs 184 crore from the past five years for which APCO is unable to release the funds to Primary Weavers Co-operative Societies and hence, weavers are losing continuous employment. And all these dues are against the supply of uniform cloth to welfare departments from APCO.

Lax treatment by the government on one side and unable to compete with power loom on the other side, handloom weavers were in a dire situation. Moreover, the cost of raw materials; yarn, dyes, and chemicals is increasing and thus inverting the proportion of the weavers' earnings. The handloom industry is losing its existence with a decrease in the handloom workers in the state. There are about 2,26,594 weaver from all the districts in the state and are struggling for their livelihood.