Textiles Ministry for inclusion of handloom weavers under NREGA

NEW DELHI: Textiles Ministry is working on a proposal to include handloom weavers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ( NREGA) so that they can be entitled to higher wages.

"Our Ministry has taken this (inclusion of handloom weavers under NREGA) up very seriously with the Ministry of Rural Development. We have had a very positive dialogue with them," Textiles Secretary Zohra Chatterjee said at the Silk Mark Expo, which was inaugurated by Textile Minister K S Rao here.

"They (Rural Development Ministry) have acceded to one of our requests which is to include silk farming under NREGA. I am hopeful that they will also examine this request and find a way," she added.

Chatterjee also interacted with famous designers including Neeta Lulla and Satya Paul and sought their suggestions for creating a high-end market for the country's silk products and addressing the issue of declining handloom weavers.

India is the second largest producer of silk with annual production of 23,579 MT in the year 2012-13. Indian silk is exported to 190 countries including US, UK, Italy, Germany and Spain.