To provide relief to handloom weavers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, the Government of Assam will procure unsold stocks of traditional handloom items from indigenous weavers of the state through ARTFED and AGMC Limited.
The state government will implement a scheme named ‘Swanirbhar Naari’ for this purpose.
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In the first phase, approximately 1.23 lakh weavers having yarn passbooks under the yarn passbook scheme will be covered.
While reviewing the implementation of the scheme in a meeting held at Janata Bhawan today, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the officials to ensure that no middlemen can take advantage of the initiative.
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Moreover, for smooth implementation of the scheme during the next financial year, Sarma directed the department to open the weavers’ registration portal and open procurement centres in each development block to cover maximum weavers.
The officials of the Handloom & Textiles Department informed the Chief Minister that 29 handloom items including gamosa, aronai, Karbi poho, Manipuri khudei, Rabha pazar, Dimasa risa basa, Mising dumer and muffler etc. have been identified.
The state government has also provisioned an amount of Rs 80 crores under SOPD-ODS for this initiative for the financial year 2021-22.
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The officials also informed that benchmarking has been done based on the type of yarn used, size, weight and design of the products.
The procured items will be sold through existing showrooms of ARTFED and AGMC and also through existing online marketing platforms. Moreover, 87 procurement centres have been identified across Assam based on weavers’ concentration.