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Market eludes handloom weavers
THEY HAVE won the world with their skills but have failed to capture the market. As the products of UP?s 30 lakh handloom workers are not being marketed properly these master craftsmen and heritage artisans are facing a tough time. Compounding their problem are the lack of financial support, non-availability of yarn at reasonable price and lack of an ideal infrastructure.
THEY HAVE won the world with their skills but have failed to capture the market. As the products of UP’s 30 lakh handloom workers are not being marketed properly these master craftsmen and heritage artisans are facing a tough time.
Compounding their problem are the lack of financial support, non-availability of yarn at reasonable price and lack of an ideal infrastructure.
Ironically, the State Government had set up two major corporations, the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Cooperative Society (UPICA) and the UP Handloom Corporation (UPHC), within 10 years of Independence for weavers’ welfare. The UPHC and UPICA were to provide raw material and training to weavers and facilitate marketing of their products.
But what can be termed as a sad commentary on the government’s state of affairs, both the corporations have become white elephants in the past 10 ten years. The corporations are facing financial crisis due to large-scale misappropriation of funds and poor management. This has left the weavers in UP in a miserable state.These organisations are unable to pay regular salary to their employees and also not cleared Rs 4 crore to the weavers. The amount has accumulated due to non-payment to the weavers for the last 10 years, sources said.However, to alleviate the condition of the weavers, the Central and the State governments decided to provide financial assistance to them under the Deendayal Hathkargha Protsahan Yojna.
The move failed to help the weavers due to the corruption and mismanagement in the country’s largest handloom corporation, sources claimed.
Similar is the fate of 100 lakh weavers all over the country. It is another matter that 20 lakh craftsman from the State have a major contribution towards meeting the textile requirements of the poor.
Experts say that the handloom sector is in a bad shape much due to the weak and unstable cooperative structure, lack of motivation and awareness among weavers apart from misappropriation and mismanagement of government’s financial assistance.
Talking to Hindustan Times, president of the Powerloom Bunkar Association and director of the All India Hathkargha Board Abdul Samad Ansari alleged the UPICA and the UPHC failed as the State Government failed to stamp out corruption and improve management.“The financial assistance provided to these organisations are not utilised properly,” Ansari added.
State president of the Bharatiya Hastkala Bunkar and Dastkar Kalayan Sanasthan Afzalul Haque Azad said both the UPICA and the UPHC should be revived and ongoing irregularities contained.
