Weavers

Curfew relaxed in Assam's silk town, probe to be ordered

Life is limping back to normal in Sualkuchi - the silk town of Assam, where seven people including two policemen were injured in a clash between weavers and security forces, the government said on Monday, adding it will order a judicial probe into the incident. ...  

AP: Pochampally's sari weavers struggle to survive

Pochampally: Pera Kamalana sits in a small room of her house, spinning the dyed yarn that will bring alive beautiful ikat designs on the nine-yard silk sari Pochampally is famous for. Wearing a polyester sari herself, Kamalana's life is, however, an irony and hardly as exotic as the timeless creations her loom gives birth to. "I can't afford to wear a Pochampally silk sari," Kamalana told IANS, when asked if...  

AP: Power cuts, costly yarn driving weavers to suicide

Karimnagar: In the last 25 days, five powerloom weavers have committed suicide in Sircilla unable to clear debts.Sircilla has attained the dubious distinction of being the distress hotspot of the weaving industry.Whenever weavers lose employment, they resort to running up huge debts to eke out their livelihood and, when they were unable to repay, they resort to suicides.Now, the power cuts are adding to the crisis looming over Sircilla town....  

AP: Vijayamma's Deeksha triggers war of words

Karimnagar: The Maha Deeskha proposed by YSR Congress honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi for the cause of weavers on July 23 in Sircilla seems to have heated up the district politics with the leaders trading war of words with each other. Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar and Sircilla MLA KT Rama Rao at separate meetings here on Sunday termed the deeksha a vain bid to boost the sagging image of the YSR...  

Govt proposes service centres for weavers

New Delhi: The Government on Friday proposed to set up three Weavers Service Centres at Jharkhand, Mizoram and Nagaland to provide technical support to poor handloom weavers. "I am also happy to announce Rs 500 crore pilot scheme in the 12th Plan for promotion and application of geo-textiles in the North East Region," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting Budget 2012-13. The minister announced two more mega handloom clusters...  

UP weavers may not benefit from Rahul's scheme

Varanasi: Varanasi's famous and highly skilled weavers might get the unenviable distinction of chronic hunger and malnourishment, like the Mussahars and Sahariyas. With the handloom industry battling extinction for over a decade now, malnourished children of weavers is the starkest face of this unfolding tragedy. Congress general secretary, Rahul Gandhi is hard selling the UPA's 6,000 crore rupees weaver package in poll bound Uttar Pradesh. In a political rally, Rahul...  

Rahul Gandhi praises UP weaver at poll rally

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has upped the election pitch in Uttar Pradesh. He has now used a weaver as his brand ambassador in the state. At an election rally in Azamgarh, he praised an ordinary weaver Faizan for the role he had played in wrapping up the Centre's special package for UP weavers. He had met Faizan in Newada during his tour across UP last year. At...  

Is Indian handloom dying a slow death?

New Delhi: Their handspun silks and cottons are sold for thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of rupees and top names endorse their products. But the humble hands that weave classy, elegant fabrics that the world admires are living in penury. The soft rustle of kanjivaram, pochampalli, benarasi and chanderi silk saris can jazz up any wedding or party, but very few know that the centuries-old art behind them is...  

6234 crore package for 13 lakh weavers announced

Varanasi: The UPA government at the Centre on Saturday announced Rs 6,234 crore package for 13 lakh weavers, including two lakh in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The announcement was made by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who holds additional charge of Textiles, days after Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi wrote him a letter asking concessions for the debt-ridden weavers. The package, to be implemented from January 2012, includes Rs...  

Weavers of Rajouli hit hard by floods in Andhra

Saris, raw material and the looms all have been washed away in the floods. ...  

Weavers weaving good business on Onam

During this season, weavers get business to the tune of lakhs. ...  

Silk saree industry loses workers to cellular titans

Colombo: There were showers at daybreak here and the weatherman forecast a thunderstorm and more rain as the city prepared for the Cricket World Cup quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and England at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It rained on Friday too, forcing the Sri Lankans to cancel their morning practice session. Another sharp shower in the afternoon and tarpaulins came out to cover the entire outfield. Heavy...  

Kalam leaves an imprint on silk weavers in Assam

The people’s President has certainly left his mark in Sualkuchi. ...  

Starved kids work, but still hungry

The children of eastern UP work for their food, but they are caught in the vicious circle of debt and poverty. ...  

Death 'looms' for Benaras weavers

The hands that crafted Benarasi saris may soon cease to exist as they battle destitution, disease and death. ...