154
S
tate
of
I
ndia
’
s
L
ivelihoods
R
eport
2015
a direction contrary to what has been said
earlier
5
about the kind of support required by
the handloom sector. Dr Narasimha Reddy
in his critical article
6
comments,
Per capita spending of the government on
handloom sector, a labour intensive textile
manufacturing section, spread all over India,
does not exceed
`
500. But, it is ready to spend
`
1,000 crores on Self-Employment and Talent
Utilization (SETU). Government’s target of
encouraging self-employment would have
been reached with smaller investments in
handloom sector. Thousands of handloom
weavers are becoming poorer by the day, as
their wages are not increasing…
Despite the efforts taken by the weavers
and the supporting organisations, the sec-
tor could face threats to its existence in a
rapidly changing market. Unless customer,
market and weaver interface is continuous,
the productsmay not command a good price.
Skilledweavers are in short supply.More than
25 per cent of existing weaver households
did not want their children to continue in
the profession. Unless the weaver secures a
place of dignity and views the vocation with
pride, the number engaged in the sector
is bound to dwindle. The incomes from
weaving should be at par with or better than
the alternative employment opportunities.
This would be possible only when credit and
marketing bottlenecks are sorted out. The
increasing exports offer a positive signal. How
to improve domesticmarketing and increase
visibility and desirability of handloom fabrics
in the eyes of community at large is the ques-
tion that requires answers. As Dr Narasimha
Reddy says, ‘We need to actively invest in
the sector’s strengths, not subsidise its weak-
nesses. Give it access to the same R&D, credit,
raw materials, technology, education, social
security and infrastructure that other growth
sectors of the economy automatically get.’
Khadi and village industries
TheKhadi andVillage Industries is an impor-
tant segment of the rural economy. TheKhadi
and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
at the central level (under the ministry of
MSME) and the Khadi andVillage Industries
Boards (KVIB) in the states provide support
of different kinds for the enterprises in this
space to be set up, nurtured and sustained.
KVIChas classified the village industries into
seven classes (Table 7.10).
KVIC has been implementing schemes
for creating self-employment and wage
employment through the Khadi and Village
Industry enterprises. The economic objective
of KVIC programmes is that the supported
units should produce marketable goods and
Table 7.10:
Classification of village industries
Agriculture based
Pulses & Cereals Processing Industry, Gur & Khandsari Industry, Palmgur Industry,
Fruit & Vegetable Processing Industry, Village Oil Industry
Forestry based
Medicinal Plants Industry, Bee Keeping Industry, Minor Forest Based Industries
Handmade paper and Fibre Handmade Paper Industry, Fibre Industry
Mineral Based
Pottery, Lime
Polymer and Chemical
based
Leather Industry, Non Edible Oils & Soap Industry, Cottage Match Industry, Plastic
Industry
Rural engineering and
bio-technology
Non Conventional Energy, Carpentry & Blacksmithy, Electronics
Service and textile
Source:
Website of KVIC. Available at
5
The Prime Minister spoke of ‘global branding and data mapping’, of ‘improving quality, technology and materi-
als’, and ‘working capital and finance’, rather than the usual sad subsidies and sops. None of these found space in the
recent budget.
6
Dr Narasimha Reddy, Talk and Walk: Not Together—Handloom Sector in Union Budget 2015–16. Available
at
