The government on Thursday approved the comprehensive powerloom, handloom and handicraft cluster development schemes worth Rs 420 crore in five states — Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Andhra Pradesh.
The schemes approved include the powerloom cluster development scheme at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra and Erode in Tamil Nadu, handloom cluster development scheme at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Sibsagar in Assam, and handicrafts cluster development scheme at Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Narasapur in Andhra Pradesh.
These schemes will be implemented through public-private partnership model between central, state government, beneficiary weavers and their groups, marketing enterprises and the financial institutions for a period of five years beginning in 2008-09.
