The Ministry of Textiles is implementing the following schemes to promote the handloom sector and welfare of weavers across the country.

1. National Handloom Development Programme;
2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;

Under the above schemes, financial assistance is provided to the eligible handloom agencies/weavers for raw materials, Common infrastructure development, marketing of handloom products in domestic/overseas markets, loans at concessional rates, scholarship to the weavers’ children and support in indigent circumstances to Awardees etc.

To facilitate growth of handloom workers, the Government has taken following steps:

• The Government of India announced a special economic package viz., AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan in 2020 for boosting economy of the country and making India self-reliant. Relief and credit support measures were announced for various sectors. Benefits of these reliefs and credit support measures to revive their businesses were available to eligible weavers and Handloom organizations.
• The States and UTs have been requested for their State Handloom Corporations/Co-operatives/Agencies to make purchases from the finished inventory available with the handloom weavers.
• Steps have been taken to on-board weavers on Government e-Market place to enable them to sell their products directly to various Government Departments and organizations. So far, about 1.5 lakh weavers have been on-boarded on the GeM portal. 
• Under Concessional Credit/Weaver MUDRA Scheme, financial assistance is provided as follows:

1. Margin money assistance

@20% of loan amount, subject to maximum of Rs. 25,000/- per weaver.

@20% of loan amount, subject to maximum of Rs. 20 lakh (@Rs. 2 lakh for every 100 weaver/worker) per handloom organisations.

2. Interest subvention upto 7% for 3 years; and
3. Credit Guarantee on loans for 3 years

There is no scheme for providing free electricity to the handloom weavers.  However, Solar Lighting Units as part of Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) items are being provided under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).

This information was given by the Minister of State for Textiles Smt. Darshana Jardosh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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