Powerloom weavers have been enrolled/ insured till November 2017.
The decentralised sector comprised khadi, handloom and Powerloom production.
There are 24.86 lakhs Powerloom units in this country, most of whom use obsolete technology.
Exhibitions were organized on 11th and 12th February at state level handlooms, handicrafts and Powerloom products.
If the same cloth is woven on a Powerloom, no one will pay more than 4 rupees per metre.
The solar energy scheme for small Powerloom units will help the unit to pay
back bank loans within three to four years.
One handloom mega cluster each in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and one Powerloom mega cluster in Rajasthan to be set up.
The association expects around 30-40 per cent stoppage of production in Powerloom and garment knitting, which will put pressure on the industry.
Recalling that the Powerloom sector alone employs over 44 lakh people,
the Minister said that the scheme will especially benefit small Powerloom weavers.
The Textile Policy of 1981 provided for regularisation of unauthorised Powerlooms and
allowed graduated expansion of Powerloom- sector production at the rate of 5 per cent per annum.
The Powerloom sector in India is predominantly an unorganized sector
and has a large number of micro and small units which produce 57 percent of the total cloth in the country.