State announces Handloom & Khadi Weavers’ Financial Benefit Scheme 2024
Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government has notified the West Bengal Handloom and Khadi Weavers’ Financial Benefit Scheme 2024 for further development of the handloom and khadi weavers of the state.
The main objective of the scheme is to make the Primary Weavers Societies (PWCs) debt-free by providing financial support for one-time settlement of NPA accounts of the PWCs in the West Bengal State Cooperative Bank and various district cooperative banks.
“There are a good number of handloom societies which have been unable to pay back the loan to the banks. The state government will pay the principal loan amount and 25 per cent interest while the rest 75 per cent will be waived by the banks. Our focus is on accelerated and focused development of the handloom and khadi weavers and their societies across the state,” a senior official of state MSME & Textiles department which is implementing the scheme said.
Yarn will be supplied at subsidised rates to the PWCs and Khadi Weavers Societies and individual weavers. The quantity of yarn required by handloom societies will be supplied by Tantuja at 10 per cent concessional rates on the purchase price of yarn. Tantuja will be entitled to 5 per cent administrative cost on account of transportation, storing and handling from the state government for the procurement and supply of yarn to the societies in addition to the 10 per cent discount which was allowed to the societies by Tantuja, from the state government. Most importantly, the societies will be given a one-time assistance that will vary from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh depending upon their size and turnover.
Handloom weavers who are not under the ambit of any PWCS will be provided a one-time financial assistance at the rate of Rs 5,000 per weaver towards repair/renovation of work shed and/or repair/modification of loom and accessories. Rs 10,000 will also be provided towards raw material assistance for production of handloom products. To get this benefit, yarn has to be procured through Tantuja.
A district-level committee with six persons under the chairmanship of Additional District Magistrate (Industries) that will scrutinise and examine the claim proposals and do the needful. There will be an eight-member state level committee with Principal Secretary of MSME and Textiles department as chairman that will be responsible to set forth suitable conditions and the associated norms for viable and potentially viable PWCS. It will also bring out norms and modalities for extending financial assistance to such viable/potentially viable PWCs/societies/individual weavers.
