With an intention to provide relief to the handloom sector, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the State government will organise a ‘Kaithari (handloom) challenge’ campaign during the Onam season, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve told the Assembly on Friday. A scheme under which clothes worth ₹5,000 will be offered for ₹2,999 has also been formulated. He was replying to a calling attention motion from K.K. Shailaja.
Mr. Rajeeve said the Kerala Khadi Grama Vyavasaya Board and centres selling khadi products were allowed to function by following protocols even amid the pandemic.
The government had distributed ₹22 crore to 12,500 workers in the khadi sector, who had lost work due to the pandemic. An amount of ₹2,000 each was being given to the families of the workers affected by COVID-19.
In addition to the festival allowance of ₹1,500 given to all khadi employees during last Onam, an amount of ₹250 was given and another ₹1,000 was provided from the welfare fund board twice.
In the handloom sector, an extra 50 days of rebate days were announced in addition to the 56 days of normal rebate days during the previous financial year. Financial aid was provided to all weavers from the welfare fund board.
For textile sector
An amount of ₹74.35 crore was allocated to the State’s textiles sector as part of a special COVID-19 package, said Mr. Rajeeve.
He said 4,000 workers of the Dinesh Beedi Sangham had lost 2.59 lakh work days over the past two years and lost ₹7.73 crore in wages. The government had accorded administrative sanction to a proposal of a ₹5-crore package, submitted by the company, for the employees.
