Minister for Industries and Commerce Mekapati Goutham Reddy has said that the government will launch the e-marketing facility for weavers on October 2 as part of its efforts to fetch them better returns on their products.
In his message on the occasion of National Handloom Day on Friday, Mr. Goutham Reddy said that the handlooms and handicrafts made in Andhra Pradesh were famous around the world, but the weavers and other traditional artisans had been leading a hand-to-mouth existence for generations due to the absence of proper support in selling their products both within the country and in overseas markets.
Keeping this in view, the government conceived the idea of connecting the weavers and artisans to markets in the online mode, which enables them to showcase their products effortlessly, and thereby earn decent returns on their investments.
Financial assistance
The Minister pointed out that the government had extended financial assistance to the weavers for the year 2021 in advance in spite of the difficulty faced by it due to the COVID crisis, and stressed the need for people to wear khadi clothes to the extent possible, at least on the National Handloom Day, so that the weavers would get recognition they deserved.
The government was sourcing uniforms and blankets required by schoolchildren through APCO, he said. It was committed to supporting the weavers through all possible means, he added.
One of the steps taken was to improve the skills of weavers to help them face stiff competition from power looms, the Minister observed.
