Will free uniform scheme help revamp handloom sector?

The free uniform scheme for students in classes 1 to 7 in government and aided schools across the State can help revamp the handloom sector, which has borne the brunt of two years of lockdown during the pandemic marked by plummeting sales accompanied by yarn shortage and spiralling yarn prices.

The free uniform scheme for students in classes 1 to 7 in government and aided schools across the State can help revamp the handloom sector, which has borne the brunt of two years of lockdown during the pandemic marked by plummeting sales accompanied by yarn shortage and spiralling yarn prices.

President of the Chendamangalam Yarn Society T. S. Baby said there is a palpable revival of fortunes in the handweaving sector. The introduction of the free uniform programme has played a big role, he said as he pointed out that dues to the weavers were being paid on time on the one hand, and on the other, the rebates announced by the government were cleared in a timely manner.

Industries department sources said there is a new life in the sector, helped by the free uniform scheme. There are signs that more people are now coming into the sector. Though the numbers are small, more people are joining the societies both for weaving uniforms and making other products. However, it will be good if more young people join the field, sources added.

Mr. Baby said the weavers have been helped by sufficient supply of raw materials now though the cost of yarn has almost doubled since the advent of COVID-19. The department sources also confirmed this, adding that the uniform supply work is not affected because the raw materials are provided by the government, which also pays the weavers.

The weavers now get around ₹500 a day plus incentives and other social protection measures, Mr. Baby said. He said it is for the first time since the 1980s that the weaving sector is seeing a revival.

Mr. Baby said the higher price of yarn will affect products other than school uniforms from the weaving societies. The weavers and societies are also not in a position to hike prices of products in order to maintain the customer base.

Yarn supply for the weavers, around 75 in the district, most of them based in Chendamangalam, is done through the National Handloom Development Corporation. The Yarn Bank helps the raw materials reach the weavers.