Telangana govt introduces Rs 5 lakh life insurance cover for handloom weavers

Hyderabad: On the occasion of National Handloom Day on Sunday, the Telangana government introduced the Nethanna Beema scheme for handloom weavers under which they will get Rs 5 lakh life insurance cover.

The state government has tied up with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India for the ‘Nethanna Beema’ scheme and designated the state department of handlooms and textiles as the nodal agency for its implementation. The scheme is implemented by the LIC, while the annual premium amount of the beneficiaries will be paid by the government on their behalf to the insurance company.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC Ramana said, “On National Handloom day, the state and central government have come together for the benefit of a handloom weaver. No government has put the tax on Handloom but the Prime Minister for the first time has put the 5% tax on Handloom and we request to remove the Handloom tax. The central government should take the decision to make the GST zero.”

“Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) have brought the new schemes. In the past, there was life insurance for farmers and now we have insurance for the weavers also. They should be given insurance as they spend their whole life weaving,” he added.

Ramana further said that in Telangana, nearly 1 lakh direct and indirect weavers work in the Handloom and Textile industry. The government has decided to give 5 lakh rupees to their nominees if they die. This is the first time life insurance is given to weavers.

Padma Shri awardee and weaver, Chintakindi Mallesham said, “I am thankful to KCR on behalf of the Handloom workers as it is one of the best schemes for the Handloom weavers. The scheme gives Life insurance to the nominee of the Handloom weavers if they die.”

National Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7 to recognise the contributions of the handloom weavers of the country.

On this day, the handloom weaving community is honoured and the contribution of this sector in the socio-economic development of this country is highlighted.

PM Modi declared August 7 as National Handloom Day to mark the Swadeshi movement as it was on this day that the movement was launched in 1905. The movement involved the revival of domestic products and production processes.

A symbol of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage, the Handloom is an important sector providing livelihood in rural and semi-rural parts of our country. It is a sector that directly addresses women’s empowerment with over 70 per cent of all weavers and allied workers being female. One of the defining movements in our struggle for freedom was Swadeshi Movement.

August 7 was chosen as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.

The first National Handloom Day was organized by PM Modi in Chennai, in 2015, with the main aim to make people aware of the rich history of Indian handloom. Not only does the day celebrate India’s rich handloom heritage but also commemorates 1905’s Swadeshi Movement, one of the several campaigns to help the handloom industry, after the COVID-19 pandemic started disrupting the economy.