T.N. Handlooms Minister announces scheme to enthuse youngsters to venture into weaving career

An estimated ₹1.40 crore will be allocated to implement the Weaver’s Induction and Entrepreneurship Programme, with 300 youngster, who, on successful completion of their training, will be inducted into a nearby weavers’ cooperative and will also be recommended for loans, the Minister said in the Assembly

The Tamil Nadu government has proposed conducting an induction and entrepreneurship programme, to encourage youngsters to take up weaving as a profession.

An estimated ₹1.40 crore will be allocated to implement the Weaver’s Induction and Entrepreneurship Programme with 300 youngsters. On successful completion of their training, they will be inducted into a nearby weavers’ cooperative and will also be recommended for loans under the Union government’s Mudra scheme, to become entrepreneurs.

Minister for Textiles and Handlooms R. Gandhi announced this during his reply, in response to a discussion on the budget allocation for his Department, in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

To improve silk production, the Department has also proposed to set up a handloom silk park in Arni as part of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s centenary celebrations.

An effort to increase the sale of silk saris has paid off handsomely for Co-optex. The Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society organised an exclusive silk festival in Thillaiyadi Valliammai Pattu Maligai, besides in showrooms in Salem and Cuddalore in February and March this year, and earned ₹135.27 lakh through sales.

Last year, the society earned an additional ₹29.02 crore as profit during 2022-23, as compared to the previous year. The retail sales stood at ₹200.92 crore as against ₹171.90 crore in 2021-22.

The society set up an e-commerce portal in 2014-15. Its online sales, as of last year, since inception, stood at ₹8.25 crore.