The Telangana government will distribute free handloom sarees to over one crore women in the State on the occasion of the Bathukamma festival next month.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has said every poor woman above the age of 18 years will get the gift.

The largesse is aimed at achieving multiple goals. Its primarily goal is to help the ailing handloom sector in the State. The Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) government also expects to gain goodwill of the people through the gesture.

The Chief Minister said the sarees would be distributed through ration shops under the public distribution system on September 18,19 and 20. He urged all the MPs, Ministers, legislators and public representatives to make the saree distribution programme a success.

The number of beneficiaries of the State gift is 1,04,57,610. A significant number of sarees are being sourced from the weavers of Sircilla in Karimnagar, which happens to be the constituency represented by Minister for IT and Municipal Administration KT Rama Rao, son of KCR.

Bathukamma festival

Bathukamma, which has been declared a State festival after the formation of the State in 2014, is an integral part of culture and heritage, and symbolises family relationships.

Interestingly, the State government also distributed clothes to Muslims on Ramzan and Christians on Christmas. For Bathukamma festival, it has decided to give sarees to poor women from all communities.

Weavers

The plight of workers dependent on handloom and powerloom sectors is pathetic. Several suicides have been reported among them. “The government is trying to change the situation and purchasing sarees from them,” an official release said.

The government is also speeding up the process of modernising powerlooms. It has announced a 50 per cent subsidy on yarn and chemicals.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW