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In a first of its kind move, about 10,000 weavers in the textile town of Siricilla are working round the clock.
Their mission: To make one crore saris to cater to an order from the Telangana government for the flagship cultural event of the state, Bathukamma festival.
The saris are meant to be distributed free of cost to over 97 lakh women who are holding Food Security Cards (white ration cards) and is costing the state exchequer ₹200 crore, according to the State Handlooms Development Commissioner, Shailaja Ramayyar.
“An order worth ₹200 crore for saris is the first of its kind from the government,” P Yadgiri, Joint Director, Telangana State Handloom Weavers Society told BusinessLine here on Monday.
A team of officials had already met the members of the Mutually Aided Co-operative Societies (MACS), owners of small-scale powerloom industries and other stakeholders in the town to appraise them of the order.
“The process is on and 10,000 weavers are currently engaged in the production of saris,” Yadgiri said.
Though the state government had sought the participation of weavers from other locations such as Warangal, Karimnagar, Nalgonda and Aler, the response was lukewarm compared to the great excitement shown by Siricila weavers.
EarningsThe deadline is August 15 and about 20,000 powerlooms will have to work round-the-clock to meet this. The order is for two varieties of polyester saris, one for the elderly and another printed variety for the young.
Each weaver will be paid a wage of ₹5 per metre of cloth produced. “The earnings of a weaver out of this order will be almost 70 per cent higher than what they earn in private production,” Yadgiri said.
This is expected to give a boost to many weavers who are facing financial challenges in the recent past. Bathukamma is a colourful and vibrant festival of Telangana and celebrated by women, with flowers that grow exclusively in each region. This festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity.
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