The Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, participated in World Cotton Day celebrations observed from 7^th October to 11^th October 2019 at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva. The WTO organized the World Cotton Day event in collaboration with the Secretariats of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, participated in the plenary session of the event which was attended by heads of states and heads of international organisations.

WTO hosted the event at the request of the Cotton – 4 countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali to celebrate their official application for the recognition of 7^th October as World Cotton Day by the United Nations.  World Cotton Day celebrated the many advantages of cotton, from its qualities as a natural fibre, to the benefits people obtain from its production, transformation, trade and consumption. World Cotton Day also served to shed light on the challenges faced by cotton economies around the world because cotton is important to least developed, developing and developed economies worldwide.

Between 2011 and 2018, India implemented a Cotton Technical Assistance Programme (Cotton TAP-I) of about USD 2.85 million for seven African countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad and also Uganda, Malawi and Nigeria. The technical assistance focused on improving the competitiveness of the cotton and cotton-based textiles and apparel industry in these countries through a series of interventions which had significant outcomes leading to a demand for a follow on project.

At the Partners Conference in Geneva, Textiles Minister announced that India will launch the second phase of the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme (TAP) for Africa. In the five year long second phase, the programme will be scaled up in size and coverage and will be introduced in five additional countries, namely Mali, Ghana, Togo, Zambia and Tanzania. The Cotton TAP programme will now cover 11 African countries including the C4 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali).

Cotton is a global commodity that is produced all over the world and a single tonne of cotton provides year-round employment for five people on average. Cotton is a drought – resistant crop ideal for arid climates, it occupies just 2.1 % of the world’s arable land, yet it meets 27% of the world’s textiles need. In addition to its fibre used in textiles and apparel, food products are also derived from cotton like edible oil and animal feed from the seed.

Union Minister of Textiles tries her hand at the charkha at a demo during the World Cotton Day in Geneva on October 7, 2019

PROMOTION OF PASHMINA SHAWLS

 

Government of India has been providing marketing facilities for all handloom products including Pashmina Shawls all across the country under Handloom Marketing Assistance (HMA), a component of National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).  Since 2016-17, a total of 678 Handloom Marketing events/expos have been organized in different states to help weavers from all across the country to sell their products. The above product is also registered as Kashmir Pashmina vide application No.46 under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Government of India has sanctioned 2 Textile Parks in Jammu and Kashmir under Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP). Details are as under:

Sl. No.	Name of Textile Park	District	GoI Share
1	J&K Textile Park, Kathua, Jammu	Kathua	39.70
2	Kashmir Wool & Silk Textile Park, Ghatti, J & K	Kathua	40.00

 

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published an Indian Standard for identification, marking and labelling of Pashmina products to certify its purity in August this year.

The certification will help curb the adulteration of Pashmina and also protect the interests of local artisans and nomads of Ladakh who are the producers of Pashmina raw material. It will also assure the purity of Pashmina for customers.

The BIS certification of Pashmina will go a long way in discouraging counterfeit or substandard products presently mislabelled and sold as genuine Pashmina in the market.

 

TECHNICAL TEXTILES INDUSTRY IN INDIA

Technical textiles are material and products manufactured primarily for their technical properties and functional requirements rather than for aesthetic characteristics.  The scope of use of technical textiles encompasses a wide range of applications such as; agro-textiles, medical textiles, geo-textiles, protection-textiles, industrial-textiles, sports-textiles and many other usages.  Use of technical textiles have benefits of increased productivity in agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture fields; better protection of military, para-military, police and security forces, stronger and sturdier transportation infrastructure for highways, railways, ports and airports and in improving hygiene and healthcare of general public.  In India, technical textiles hold immense growth opportunities both for the industry as well as across various applications.

Technical textiles is the harbinger of many new age applications covering almost all walks of life, and having immense potential for bringing in higher level of productivity, efficiency, cost economics; and offering innovative solutions to many engineering and general applications. In addition to their commercial use, technical textiles have been identified for mandatory use across various important missions, programmes and schemes of the Government of India. Some of these are National Health Mission, Jal Jivan Mission, National Horticulture Mission and infrastructure development of highways, railways and ports.   In order to boost a rapid growth of the technical textile segment in the country, the government has taken following major initiatives:

207 technical textiles items have been brought under separate head in the Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) code under the Foreign Trade Policy.

With a view to derive the benefits of technical textiles in various fields of applications, currently 92 application areas have been identified for mandatory use across 10 Central Ministries/Departments. Technical textiles has seen an increase in exports by 11% in April – June quarter of 2019.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed standards for 348 technical textiles products.

On request from the Industry, Ministry of Textiles has included 6 additional courses for technical textiles in its Skill Development Programme called Samarth.

The work of conducting fresh baseline survey on technical textiles sector has been given to IIT Delhi. 

The Ministry has issued Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order dated 23.10.2019, prescribing minimum local purchase content for technical textiles items in 10 segments for government procurement.

In terms of the projections of the last baseline survey on technical textiles submitted in 2015, the market size in India for the year 2017-18 is projected as Rs 1,16,217 crore.  Although, there is no projection in the last baseline study with regard to the projections for the 2020-21, taking into account the current trend of growth and various initiatives of the Government, domestic market size of the technical textiles is expected to cross Rs 2 lakh crores by the year 2020-21.

 

Scheme for Promoting Usage of Agro textiles in North East Region:

The usage of Agro textiles in the North East Region has led to average increase in farmers’ income by 67% to 75%. Increase in intensity of crop cycles by 3 to 4 crops in a year is seen as there is cultivation throughout the year. It has led to reduced water consumption by 30%-45% and has prevented damages to crops due to birds and hailstone.

Scheme for Promoting Usage of Geotechnical Textiles in North East Region:

Use of Geotextiles in infrastructure projects has led to improvement of serviceability of the infrastructure and increased maintenance intervals for infrastructure such as roads and hill slopes.

 

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)

Two new NIFT campuses will be set up at Panchkula (Haryana) and Ranchi (Jharkhand). At present, NIFT has 16 Campuses all over India:

S. No	NIFT Campuses	State
1	Bengaluru	Karnataka
2	Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh
3	Bhubaneswar	Odisha
4	Chennai	Tamil Nadu
5	Gandhinagar	Gujarat
6	Hyderabad	Telangana
7	Jodhpur	Rajasthan
8	Kangra	Himachal Pradesh
9	Kannur	Kerala
10	Kolkata	West Bengal
11	Mumbai	Maharashtra
12	New Delhi	Delhi
13	Patna	Bihar
14	Raebareli	Uttar Pradesh
15	Shillong	Meghalaya
16	Srinagar	Jammu & Kashmir

 

In view of the recent trends of apparels and costumes, and based on the feasibility study conducted by NIFT, the following Under Graduate Programmes will be introduced by NIFT at its existing two NIFT campuses from academic session 2020-21.

       NIFT Shillong

             1) Bachelor of Design (Textile Design)

             2) Bachelor of Design (Fashion Communication)

 

       NIFT Bhopal

          1) Bachelor of Design (Fashion Communication)

2) Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design)

3) Bachelor of Fashion Technology (Apparel Production)

The above programmes will be in addition to the existing programmes already running at these campuses.

 

INTEGRATED TEXTILE PARKS

The Government is implementing the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP) which provides support for creation of world-class infrastructure facilities for setting up of textile units, with a Government of India grant up to 40% of the project cost subject to a ceiling of Rs. 40 crore.  However, Government of India grant is up to 90% of the project cost for first two projects (each) in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir with ceiling of Rs. 40 crore for each textile park.

 

The Scheme is demand driven. A total of 59 textile parks have been sanctioned under SITP by the Ministry of Textiles out of which 22 textile parks have been completed and rest are under various stages of construction. The details are given below:

S.No.	Name of the Park	Location	State
1	Islampur Integrated Textile Park	Islampur	Maharashtra
2	Latur Integrated Textile park	Latur	Maharashtra
3	Amitara Green Hi-tech Textile Park	Ahmedabad	Gujarat
4	Karanj Textile Park	Surat	Gujarat
5	Shahlon Textile Park	Surat	Gujarat
6	Palsana Textile Park	Surat	Gujarat
7	Shanti Integrated Textile Park	Surat	Gujarat
8	Satyaraj Integrated Textile Park	Ichalkaranji	Maharashtra
9	Dhule Textile Park	Dhule	Maharashtra
10	Shree Ganesh Integrated Textile Park	Dhule	Maharashtra
11	Aalishan Eco Textile Park	Panipat	Haryana
12	Guntur Textile Park	Guntur	Andhra Pradesh
13	Tarakeaswara Textile Park	Nellore	Andhra Pradesh
14	Brandix India Apparel City Private Limited	Vishakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh
15	Gujarat Eco Textile Park Limited,	Surat	Gujarat
16	Mundra SEZ Textile & Apparel Park Limited,	Kutch	Gujarat
17	Fairdeal Textile Park Pvt. Ltd.,	Surat	Gujarat
18	Vraj Integrated Textile Park Limited ,	Ahmadabad	Gujarat
19	Sayana Textile Park Ltd.,	Surat	Gujarat
20	Doddabalapur Integrated Textile Park,	Doddabalapur	Karnataka
21	Metro Hi-Tech Cooperative Park Limited,	Icchalkaranji,	Maharashtra
22	Pride India cooperative Textile park Limited,	Icchalkaranji,	Maharashtra
23	Baramati Hi Tech Textile Park Limited,	Baramati,	Maharashtra
24	Purna Global Textiles Park Ltd.	Hingoli	Maharashtra
25	Lotus Integrated Tex Park	Barnala,	Punjab
26	Rhythm Textile & Apparel Park Ltd,	Nawanshehar,	Punjab
27	Ludhiana Integrated Textile Park Ltd,	Ludhiana	Punjab
28	Kishangarh Hi-Tech Textile Weaving Park Limited ,	Kishangarh,	Rajasthan
29	Next Gen Textile Park Pvt Ltd ,	Pali,	Rajasthan
30	Jaipur Integrated Texcraft Park Pvt Ltd,	Jaipur,	Rajasthan
31	Palladam Hi-Tech Weaving park,	Palladam,	Tamilnadu
32	Komarapalayam Hi-Tech Weaving Park Ltd. ,	Komalarapallyam,	Tamilnadu.
33	Karur Integrated Textile Park,	Karur Park	Tamilnadu
34	Madurai Integrated Textile Park Ltd,	Madurai,	Tamilnadu
35	The Great Indian Linen & Textile Infrastructure Company, Uthukuli,	Tirupur District	Tamil Nadu
36	Pochampally Handloom Park Limited,	Bhuvangiri	Telangana
37	White Gold Textile Park,	Rangareddy	Andhra Pradesh
38	Hosiery Park	Howrah	West Bengal
39	Prag Jyoti Textile Park	Darang	Assam
40	Hindupur Vyapar Apparel Park Limited	Ananatpuram	Andhra Pradesh
41	MAS Fabric Park (India Ltd	Nellore	Andhra Pradesh
42	Surat Super Yarn Park Limited,	Surat	Gujarat
43	Kejriwal Integrated Textile Park,	Surat	Gujarat
44	J&K Textile Park,	Kathua	J&K
45	Gulbarga Textile Park,	Gulbarga	Karnataka
46	SIMA Textile Processing Centre,	Cuddalore,	Tamilnadu
47	EIGMEF Apparel Park Ltd.,	Kolkata	West Bengal
48	Asmeeta Infratech Ltd.	Thane	Maharashtra
49	Deesan Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.	Dhule	Maharashtra
50	RJD Integrated Textile Park Pvt. Ltd.	Surat	Gujarat
51	Kashmir Wool and Silk Textile Park	Ghatti	J&K
52	Farrukhabad Textile Park	Farukkhabad	Uttar Pradesh
53	Eco-Tex Textile Park	Bareily	Uttar Pradesh
54	NSP Infrastruture Pvt. Ltd	Surat	Gujarat
55	Hinganghat Integrated Textile Park	Vidharbha	Maharashtra
56	Pallavada Technical Textiles Park Pvt	Erode	Tamilnadu
57	Himachal Textile Park	Una	Himachal Pradesh
58	Kancheepuram Perarignar Anna Silk Park.	Kanchipuram	Tamilnadu
59	Kalapana Awade Textile Park	Kolhapur	Maharashtra

 

 

Two textile parks have been sanctioned in Uttar Pradesh so far, under the Scheme:

 

CAPACITY BUILDING IN TEXTILE SECTOR

The Government has approved a skill development scheme titled SAMARTH, a Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector, covering the entire value chain of the textile sector, excluding Spinning and Weaving in the organized sector, on pan India basis, including the state of Tripura, for a period of three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20, with an outlay of Rs.1300 crore to train 10 lakh persons. The salient features of the scheme are:

 

1. Training programmes are aligned with the provisions of Common Norms and courses offered under the scheme are National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) compliant.

2. Web based MIS for ease of implementation and monitoring.

• (iii) Physical verification of Training Centres before allocation of training target.

• (iv) 70% mandatory placement within 3 months of completion of training for organized sector.

5. Training by certified Trainers having cleared Training of Trainers (ToT) course.

• (vi) Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS).

7. CCTV recording of entire training programme and assessment process.

8. Post Placement tracking.

• (ix) Mobile App for different stakeholders for ease of monitoring and implementation.

10. Preference to be given to marginalized social group and aspirational districts.

• (xi) Public grievance redressal mechanism.

12. Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibitions & Redressal) Act, 2013.

 

The details of State Government agencies allocated skilling targets so far and signed Memorandum of Understanding with Ministry of Textiles for undertaking training programme under Samarth, at a function held on 14th August, 2019 in New Delhi, are given below:

 

S. No.	Name of Implementing Agency	State
1	Arunachal Pradesh Handloom & Handicrafts Society Lt.	Arunachal Pradesh
2	Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Kannur	Kerala
3	Handloom & Handicrafts Wing, Directorate of Commerce & Industries	Mizoram
4	Handloom & Textiles	Tamil Nadu
5	Telangana State Textile Complex Cooperative Society	Telangana
6	U P Industrial Cooperative Association Ltd	Uttar Pradesh
7	Khadi Village Industries Board (UPKVIB)	Uttar Pradesh
8	Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, Kanpur	Uttar Pradesh
9	Uttarakhand Skill Development Society, Dehradun	Uttarakhand
10	Director of Handlooms & Textiles-Andhra Pradesh	Andhra Pradesh
11	Assam Skill Development Mission	Assam
12	Handloom Textiles & Sericulture Department	Assam
13	Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam	Madhya Pradesh
14	Directorate of Skill Development	Tripura
15	Karnataka State Textile Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited	Karnataka
16	Department of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Directorate of Handlooms & Textiles, Government of Manipur	Manipur
17	Directorate of Industries & Commerce	Haryana
18	Directorate of Sericulture & Weaving	Meghalaya
19	Directorate of Handloom, Sericulture & handicraft	Jharkhand
20.	Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute*	Jammu & Kashmir*
21.	Institute of Entrepreneurship Development Odisha*	Odisha*

 

*MoU has not been signed yet.

The Ministry has allocated over 4 lakh skilling targets in organised and traditional sectors to Government agencies in 18 States and skilling targets in traditional sector to Sectoral Organisations of Ministry of Textiles (Central Silk Board, Development Commissioner of Handicrafts, Development Commissioner of Handloom and National Jute Board) for commencing the training programme under the scheme. Process of empanelment and training target allocation to textile industry/industry association has also commenced as per the scheme guidelines.

 

The details of amount allocated and utilized since the inception of the Samarth scheme are given below:

Year	Fund allocated (Rs. in crore)	Fund utilised (Rs. in crore)
2017-18	100.00	100.00
2018-19	42.00	16.98
2019-20 (as on date)	100.50	17.39
Total	242.50	134.37

 

A web based centralised Management Information System (MIS) has been operationalized for monitoring of all aspects of the implementation of the training programme under the scheme. All aspects of the training programme viz. proposal for empanelling of implementing partners, training centre verification, trainee enrolment, Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System, Assessment & Certification, placement & tracking of trainees and payment to implementing partners are interfaced with the web based MIS of Samarth.

 

Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL)

On 6th March 2019, Cabinet approved a Scheme for Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) to enhance competitiveness of apparel and made-ups exports. Rebate of Taxes/levies was approved through an IT driven script system at notified rates up to 31.03.2020.

 

POWERTEX INDIA

Under Powertex India 4797 looms have been upgraded under the in-situ Upgradation Scheme for Plain Powerloom and Rs.44.98 crores have been released. In the Group Workshed Scheme 141 projects have been approved and Rs. 7.64 crores have been released. In the Yarn Bank Scheme 8 projects have been approved and Rs.5.27 crores have been released. 12 Buyers Seller Meet organized at a cost of Rs.1.35 crores. Nineteen Powerloom Service Centres have been set up at a cost of Rs.4.58 crores.

GROWTH OF SILK PRODUCTION

Integrated Scheme for Development of the Silk Industry

For the development of the Indian silk industry patents have been obtained for 5 technology packages, 50 research projects have been concluded and 55 technology packages disseminated. 13885 persons have been trained under various programmes organized by the Research & Training institutes of Central Silk Board (CSB).

 

The total raw silk production has increased by 11% (35,468 MT) during 2018-19 over the previous year 2017-18 (31,906 MT). The bivoltine raw silk production achieved a record production of 6,987 MT during 2018-19 by registering 18.95% growth over previous year. Raw silk yield per hectare has increased to 105 kg during 2018-19 compared to 96 kg during 2014-15

The Textiles Ministry has taken various steps through the Central Silk Board (CSB) to protect the interest of the silk producers.

CSB through a restructured Central Sector Scheme Silk Samagra and 38 projects under North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) protects the interests of the farmers by supporting them through beneficiary oriented components like raising of kisan nursery, plantation with improved mulberry varieties, irrigation, chawki rearing centres with incubation facility, construction of rearing houses, rearing equipment and door to door service agents for disinfection. 42,026 beneficiaries have been covered. Mulberry plantation in 32,552 acres have been developed. Raw silk production in the North East region has increased from 4,602 MT in 2013-14 to 7,482 MT 2018-19 with total increase from 17% to 22% of India’s total production. It has generated employment for the tribal communities and also created sustainable livelihood for them. The positive impact of this is reflected in significant increase in Disease Free Layings (dfls) consumption, cocoon production, raw silk production besides increase in income from sericulture and its share in the total annual family income.

Strengthened Research & Development system to improve the levels of cocoon production and productivity to develop improved mulberry/host plant varieties, silkworm hybrids and technology packages to minimize drudgery.

For production of 3A-4A grade raw silk from the bivoltine cocoons, Automatic Reeling Machines (ARM) have been established in the country.

Central Silk Board and State Governments mobilize additional funds for sericulture development through convergence by availing the schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) being implemented by various other Ministries of Government of India. 

The basic customs duty of 10% & 20% is levied on raw silk and silk fabric import respectively. This makes the domestic silk weaving market segment stronger and also makes Indian silk export sector highly competitive.

 

The Jute and Jute textile industry:

The jute industry occupies an important place in the economy of India and is one of the major industries in the eastern region, particularly in West Bengal. Jute, the golden fibre, meets all the standards for safe packaging in view of being a natural, renewable, biodegradable and eco-friendly product. It is estimated that the jute industry provides direct employment to 0.37 million workers in organized mill and in diversified units and supports the livelihood of around 4.0 million farm families.

 

Development of Jute Sector

For the welfare of jute farmers the JUTE – ICARE (Improved Cultivation and Advanced Retting Exercise) has been launched to promote scientific practices related to Jute Cultivation for Quality & Quantity improvements. In order to facilitate modernization and up-gradation of technology in existing/ new jute mills and JDP units an incentive Scheme for Acquisition of Select Machinery (ISAPM) has been launched.

In order to facilitate registered jute exporters for participating in foreign fairs/BSMs and Trade delegations to enhance exports of jute products an Export Market Development Assistance Scheme (EMDA) has been launched. To support jute entrepreneurs to display and promote jute diversified products through retail outlets in Metro cities, State Capitals and tourist places Retail Outlet of Jute Diversified Products and Bulk Supply Scheme has been put in place.

In order to provide assistance to the jute mills by supporting construction cost for toilet blocks for the jute mill workers a Workers’ Welfare Scheme (Sulabh Sauchalaya) has been implemented. Incentives are being given to successful 10th & 12th class girl children of workers of Jute Mills / MSMEs in order to provide education support.

To create new/ skilled work force for production of value added JDPs, to provide self-employment opportunity and facilitate backward and forward linkage to the existing and new entrepreneurs the Jute Integrated Development Scheme (JIDS) has been launched. To supply jute raw materials to MSMEs Units and artisans at mill gate price plus actual transportation cost the Jute Raw Material Bank (JRMB) scheme has been put in place.

In order to promote the Indian Jute Industry, the Government has set up the Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA). A variety of research activities has been undertaken by IJIRA for enabling faster retting of jute plant, softening of hard root cuttings of jute and eco-  friendly oil-free processing of jute.

In the field of product development IJIRA has developed light-weight jute bag, Jute Geotextiles for construction of rural roads, Jute-thermoplastic composites and Bio-degradable laminates for jute cloth. IJIRA has also developed high-end products like jute-based air filter media, valuable chemicals from jute stick and process waste and jute-based sanitary napkins. In the field of machinery development, IJIRA has developed high-speed roller drafting machine and Continuous damping-calendaring-cutting machine.

 

COMPREHENSIVE HANDLOOM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) is targeted at development of Mega Handloom Clusters in clearly identifiable geographical locations covering at least 15000 handlooms with the Government of India contributing up to Rs.40 crore per cluster over a period of 5 years. Components such as conducting diagnostic study and corpus for raw material are fully funded by the Government of India whereas components like lighting units, technological up-gradation of looms and accessories are 90% funded by the Government of India.  Other components such as creation of infrastructure for design studio/ marketing complex/garmenting unit, marketing development, assistance for exports and publicity are 80% funded by the Government of India. 

Eight Mega Handloom Clusters viz. Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sivasagar (Assam), Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu), Murshidabad (West Bengal), Prakasam and Guntur districts (Andhra Pradesh), Godda & neighbouring districts (Jharkhand), Bhagalpur (Bihar) and Trichy (Tamil Nadu) have been taken up for development. Under the CHCDS, around 1.75 lakh handloom weavers have been covered for which Rs. 131.91 crore has been released for various interventions during the last four financial years and the current financial year.

 

Furthermore, under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP), based on the viable proposals received from the State Governments, 294 Block Level Clusters (BLCs) have been sanctioned in the country covering around 1.6 lakh handloom weavers for which Rs. 165.99 crore has been released for various interventions during the last four financial years and the current financial year.

 

Under the MUDRA scheme loans were sanctioned to 35952 weavers with a total disbursement of Rs 181.68 crore. 8611 handloom workers have been provided skill upgradation training. 7417 Hathkargha Samvardhan Sahayata (HSS) items have been distributed to 7285 beneficiaries.

 

Financial Assistance of Rs 38.77 crores has been provided to 34 aspirational districts for handloom development. Hastkala Sahyog Shivirs are being organized throughout the country to spread awareness about various schemes and benefits available to the Artisans and Weavers. In order to enhance the weavers’ income, direct interface of textile companies are being developed with handloom clusters. Producer companies of handloom weavers, societies and SHGs are being formed under the Companies Act.

MODERNIZATION OF HANDLOOMS

In 2018-19, 29.93 lakh bales have been imported and 42.83 lakh bales exported up to 31.01.2019 as per Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), Kolkata. Cotton balance sheet including quantity of import and export as finalized by the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB) for last 3 years are as under:

 

(Quantity in lakh bales of 170 Kgs)
Crop Year	Opening stock	Production	Import	Consumption	Export	Closing stock
2016-17	36.44	345.00	30.94	310.41	58.21	43.76
2017-18	43.76	370.00	15.80	3019.06	67.59	42.91
2018-19 (P)	42.91	337.00	22.00	311.50	50.00	40.41

 

Taking into account demand and supply situation in the country, as per above statement, there is sufficient availability of cotton in the country.

Ministry of Textiles has been implementing – (i) Yarn Supply Scheme throughout the country to make available all types of yarn at mill gate price to handloom weavers. The scheme is being implemented through National Handloom Development Corporation.  Under the Scheme freight is reimbursed and depot operating charges at 2% is given to depot operating agencies.  For Handlooms, a component of 10% price subsidy also exists on hank yarn, which is applicable on cotton, domestic silk, wool and linen yarn with quantity caps. 

(ii) In Power loom sector, Yarn Bank Scheme provides interest free corpus fund of up to Rs.2.00 crores to Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)/ Consortium of Power loom weavers to enable them to purchase yarn at wholesale rate and give the yarn at reasonable price to the small weavers. 89 Yarn banks are in operation on pan India basis involving interest free corpus fund of Rs.26.17 crores of Government of India. There is no scarcity of supply of yarn to the Power loom weavers.   

The Government of India, Ministry of Textiles has been implementing Block Level Cluster under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) and Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) for providing skill upgradation training in Weaving, Dyeing, Designing. disciplines and also provide upgraded looms/ accessories to handloom weavers to improve quality of fabric and enhance productivity.    Total 436 Block Level Clusters have been sanctioned from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (till 18.11.2019) under NHDP/CHCDS covering 303366 beneficiaries across the country out of this, 52 BLCs have been sanctioned to Tamil Nadu covering 58268 beneficiaries.

 

For welfare of the handloom weavers, life & accident insurance coverage is provided to handloom weavers/ workers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY) across the country.  The details of benefits and total annual premium, share i.e. Government of India, LIC and Weavers/ Workers under PMJJBY/ PMSBY & converged MGGBY under Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme is as under:

 

Scheme components	Age group	Insurance coverage	Benefits (in Rs.)	Annual premium
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)	18- 50 years	Natural Death	2,00,000	Rs.330/-   GoI share - Rs.150/- LIC share -  Rs.100/- Weaver/worker - Rs.80/-
		Accidental Death	2,00,000
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)	18- 50 years	Accidental Death	2,00,000	Rs.12/- entirely borne by Government of India (GoI)
		Total Disability	2,00,000
		Partial Disability	1,00,000
Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY)	51- 59 years	Natural Death	60,000	Rs.470/-   GoI share - Rs.290/- LIC share -  Rs.100/- Weaver/worker - Rs.80/-
		Accidental Death	1,50,000
		Total Disability	1,50,000
		Partial    Disability	75,000

 

 

Ministry of Textiles has signed Memorandums of Understanding with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to secure educational facilities for the weavers and their families.  NIOS offers Secondary and Senior Secondary level education with specialized subjects on design, marketing, business development, etc. through distance learning mode for handloom weavers, whereas IGNOU offers continuing education programs through accessible and flexible learning opportunities relevant to the aspirations of handloom weavers and their children for career progression. Ministry of Textiles is providing reimbursement of 75% of the fee towards admission to NIOS/IGNOU courses in case of SC, ST, BPL, and Women learners belonging to handloom weavers’ families.

UPLIFTMENT OF HANDICRAFTS

For the upliftment of the handicrafts sector financial assistance is provided to handicrafts artisans under Direct Benefit to Artisans under following schemes of Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles:

 

(i) Mudra Loan with Interest Subvention & Margin Money for Handicrafts Artisans:

Under Mudra Loan assistance is provided to artisans/weavers with Interest subvention of 6 % for a period of 3 years to a maximum limit of Rs.100000 to meet their credit requirements. Further to encourage the artisans to avail the facility of MUDRA loan, 20% of loan amount is also being provided as margin money in their loan amount not exceeding Rs. 10,000. Handicrafts Service Centers are facilitating artisans in availing the credit facility by mobilizing them, creating awareness and submitting applications to the Banks.

 

(ii) Support to Artisans in Indigent Circumstances (Pension Scheme):

This scheme provides financial assistance to artisans who are the recipient of Shilp Guru Award/ National Award/ Nation Merit Certificate holders/ State Award in handicrafts and are not less than 60 years of age having annual income less then Rs. 50,000. Financial assistance of Rs. 3,500 per month is given to Master Craftsperson in indigent circumstances.

 

(iii) Insurance Scheme for Handicrafts Artisans:

Handicrafts artisans /workers in the age group of 18-50 years are being provided life, accident and disability cover under the PMJJBY and PMSBY. Handicrafts artisans /workers in the age group of 5l-59 years already enrolled under the Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY) are covered under the Converged Modified Aam Admi Bima Yojana (Converged AABY).

 

(iv) MoU with NIOS and IGNOU:

MoUs have been signed between Ministry of Textiles and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Another MoU has been signed between Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) for collaboration in the area of education for handicrafts artisans and their children wherein reimbursement of 75% of the fee for SC/ST/BPL and the women artisans is being made. In the MoU there is provision for designing courses exclusively for the handicrafts artisans and their children. Accordingly, NIOS has been sanctioned 15 training programme in Zari Zardozi craft in the Varanasi region under the component of Training through Established Institutions of Human Resource Development Scheme. So far, 99 Scheduled Caste artisans have completed training and are practicing the craft at present with enhanced earning.

 

The Ministry of Textiles implements various schemes for promotion and development of handicrafts sector under National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS).

The NHDP has following components:

1. Base Line Survey & Mobilization of Artisans under Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana,

2. Design & Technology Up gradation,

3. Human Resource Development,

4. Direct Benefit to Artisans,

5. Infrastructure and Technology Support,

6. Research and Development,

7. Marketing Support & Services.

 

The CHCDS has following components: 

1. Mega Cluster

2. Special projects under Integrated Development and Promotion of Handicrafts (IDPH).

 

The Government has taken initiative to implement cluster development project under Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojna (AHVY) for the overall development of artisans in Uttar Pradesh. 62 clusters have been sanctioned during last three years in Uttar Pradesh where 31000 artisans have benefitted. The Government has taken initiative under CHCDS, whereas 4 handicrafts mega cluster at Mirzapur -Bhadhoi, Moradabad, Bareilly & Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh have been sanctioned. Twenty-one New Block Level Clusters have been sanctioned.

 

Under PAHCHAN initiative, 23.68 lakh artisans have been provided Identity Cards up to March 31st 2019. 50000 new artisans will be enrolled under PAHCHAN initiative. 309 Handicrafts training programmes have been proposed under HRD scheme to benefit 7600 artisans directly.

 

In order to promote India’s handicrafts 5754 Improved tool kits have been distributed and 2000 Toolkits will be distributed under Design and Technical Upgradation scheme. 327 Handicrafts Training programmes have been organised to benefit 6720 artisans directly.

 

63 Domestic and 54 International Marketing events have been organized to benefit 12075 artisans directly. 190 Domestic and 80 International Marketing events have been proposed in the year 2019-20.

 

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MM/ SB

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