Government places bulk orders for Bathukamma sarees
With the State government placing bulk orders for weaving around 95 lakh Bathukamma sarees with powerloom weavers of Sircilla textile town, the district Handlooms and Textiles Department has called upon powerloom weavers, who have migrated to other States in search of employment, to return to their native villages and secure jobs in the existing powerlooms.
In a press note here on Friday, AD (Handlooms and Textiles) P. Ashok Rao said the government has placed orders for weaving Bathukamma sarees with 104 Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies (MACS) and 71 small scale industries (SSI) here. This time around, the sarees would have pre-dyed zari border in 80 colours. A total of six crore meters of fabric would be produced on 20,000 powerlooms before September this year.
The weavers would get wages between Rs. 16,000 and Rs. 20,000 a month unlike in the past when their wage was Rs. 8,000 a month. The MACS and SSIs have been instructed to give about Rs. 4.25 paise per meter of fabric that’s weaved by the weavers. Mr. Ashok Rao said the State government has released Rs. 40 lakh to give Rs. 1,200 to each weaver as thrift fund. As the government has extended 10% subsidy on the yarn, weavers would get additional Rs. 200 per day, he said.

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