Press.Brief

Rahul’s intervention again: Union Government to announce relief package for U.P weavers

The union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is likely to announce a relief package for weavers in Varanasi tomorrow that may include waiver of debt for both co-operative societies and individual weavers and a credit card for weavers. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had written a letter to the minister highlighting the plight of weavers in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

In his letter on November 14, Rahul referred to the Rs 3,000-crore loan waiver package announced by the finance minister in his budget speech this year. He had noted “This has so far not been implemented. It is, therefore, an imperative to ensure that the loan waiver package be implemented at the earliest... I would urge you to formulate an appropriate financial package for millions of bunkars, most of whom belong to weaker community and to the minorities. I would strongly recommend measures to ensure availability of yarn at affordable prices, access to credit in easy terms and freight reimbursement to retain the competitiveness of this sector”. He also added: “I have discussed these matters with you and with the finance minister in person and I trust that these will receive your urgent attention.”

Rahul Gandhi’s letter was released by UP Congress spokesman Akhilesh Singh who subsequently sent out Sharma’s schedule in Varanasi tomorrow as well. Rahul Gandhi had kick started the Congress’s election campaign on November 14 from Phulpur, barely 32 km from Varanasi. During his speech he had highlighted the issues of weavers and also had said that the Central Government has sanctioned Rs. 3000 crore for the relief of the weavers. Around 1.5 lakh weavers are expected to benefit from the scheme. There are an estimated 13 lakh weavers across the country.

Rahul had visited Azamgarh and interacted with handloom weavers in July and spent time with artisans in Mirzapur district earlier this month. He said the weavers have been under considerable economic distress due to indebtedness. Citing that weavers have been facing difficulties due to high prices of yarn and stiff competition from the powerloom and mill sectors, Rahul wrote: “I would strongly recommend measures to ensure availability of yarn at affordable prices, access to credit on easy terms and freight reimbursement to retain the competitiveness of this sector.”

During his address at Phulpur, Rahul had said “I visited weavers in Aligarh. The weavers there said their industry had died. I met many weavers in Navada. They said earlier many people came there, trade used to take place. There was work, there were gains. Everything ended. Now, they were laborers.” “What was Uttar Pradesh government doing? It was looking somewhere else, it ignored their plight. What we did – we went to the Prime Minister and said weavers were facing grave problem. We have to help people from all religions and cast there. The PM sent a package of Rs. 3,000 crore.”