Rastra Cheneta Jana Samakhya demands amendment to Handloom Reservation Act

The Rastra Cheneta Jana Samakhya on Wednesday demanded for the amendment of the Handloom Reservation Act.

The club highlighted serious anomalies in the implementation of Handloom Reservation Act.

"Health Insurance Scheme is not implemented since two years. It is also important to note that disease caused by the weaving occupation is not recorded in occupation health problems and therefore weavers have to roam from nook to corner for relief to meet their health expenses. This is nothing but injustice to the poor weavers community," said a representative.

The group discussed the problem of accumulation of stock with cooperative societies.

The cooperative societies are not able to sell the products of handloom weaver in the market due to stiff competition from power loom production, a violation of Handloom Reservation Act as identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This situation creates accumulation of stock and blocked production. At the end weavers community lose their livelihood in terms of reduced working days.

"The National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) is not supplying required quantity and quality of yarn. This creates scarcity of material which results in the fact that weaver community has to depend on open market where they can't afford to produce products at cost effective rates and also can't compete with mills and powerlooms," they added.