The National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) and Development Commissioner (handlooms) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in order to help scheduled caste (SC) weavers and their families by promoting production and marketing of high value quality handlooms products at block level cluster in various states.
NSFDC under the ministry of social justice and empowerment and Development Commissioner (handlooms) signed the MoU in the presence of Thaawarchand Gehlot, union minister of social justice and empowerment and Smriti Irani, union minister of textiles.
Both the parties shall also organize relevant skill development programmes for upgradation of skills of the SC weavers in clusters and also for sharing knowledge and experience. This endeavour shall enable SC weavers to sharpen their skills for production and marketing of high value quality handloom products and better marketing linkages and therefore to have more income.
Handlooms sector is a part of the textile industry, which is the second largest economic activity after agriculture in India. There are around 44 lakh handloom weavers in the country out of which 3.90 lakh are SC weavers. Under the cluster approach, new strategy for promoting production and marketing of high value quality handloom products shall be adopted to ensure more earnings of the SC handloom weavers.
In this endeavour, both the MoU signing parties shall popularize the schemes of Development Commissioner (handlooms) among the SC weavers through awareness programmes and advertisements in electronic/print media in SC weavers concentrated areas and collaborate for capacity building including skill upgradation and economic development of SC weavers and their families for achieving the desired outcome. Exhibitions/fairs shall be organized by both the parties for providing marketing assistance to SC weavers for enhancing their earnings.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
