Mohsina Irshad
The Handloom sector of Jammu has a unique place in the socio-economic structure of the district. It plays a pivotal role in generating employment and developing the textile sector of district Jammu while at the same time preserves the rich cultural heritage of the region. The sector provides self- employment to artisans, weavers and ancillary workers, mostly belonging to the backward areas and economically weaker sections of the district. The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom, Jammu has played a vital role in developing the sector while generating employment specially for the women population of the district.
The District Jammu is famous for weaving of specialized fabrics of pashmina, wool, and tweed, to create products like Pashmina shawls, Kani shawls, raffal shawls, silk sarees, lois, blankets, bed sheets, Dhurrie and others. Because of uniqueness and exclusivity of designs and capability to produce small eco-friendly products, handloom products are in high demand in both international as well as in the domestic markets. The Directorate of Handloom and HandicraftsJammu has been constantly working on marketing and promotion of products and encouragement of this sector through consistent hand holding, in the form of welfare and promotional schemes like providing financial assistance through Credit card schemes, Geographical Indication of Handloom Products, registration of Artisans/Weavers on gem portals and modernization of designs while collaborating with fashion institutes, publicity of handloom products and conducting exhibitions and fairs across the country and internationally, skill development through training programmes and providing advance trainings to weavers in the form of Samarth and Karkhandar schemes run by the Department.
The department is currently running four Training Centers acrossDistrict Jammu.Every year 80 trainees are trained 20 per training center for a period of one-year, applications for which shall now be received online through single window initiative of government of Jammu and Kashmir. The interested applicants are required to register themselves on the portal. During the training programme students are taught basics of handloom weaving and readymade garment making. Also, a stipend of Rupees one thousand per month is given to the trainees. After successfully completing one year training students can open individual units or organize themselves into societies while getting registered with department and generate further employment and promote the craft of handloom.
The individual artisans and weavers can also register as co-operative societies consisting of 11 to 25 members and receive a one-time financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh from the department.Currently,84 societies are registered with the department and 16 new societies were registered in the financial year of 2022-23. The societies once registered are provided an assistance in the form of Share Capital and Loan for purchase, modernization, and renovation of looms.
Further, weavers can avail benefit under Pradhan Mantri Weaver Mudra Scheme of Government of India implemented by the Handloom Department to provide adequate and timely credit up to Rupees two lakhs to the weavers to meet their credit requirement and help them to establish and expand their small business and generate self-employment. Similarly, under Credit Card Scheme artisans are provided a one time of subsidized loan assistance upto two lakh rupees, with loan components of Rs. 1.80 lakh and beneficiary’s contribution of Rs. 20,000.
To further promote the craft of weaving the J&KGovernment in August 2021, implemented the Karkhandar Scheme to provide an advance training of 6 months to trainees. Under the scheme a monthly stipend of Rs. 2000/- per trainee is given along with a lump-sum of Rs. 25000/- per Karkhandar unit to meet the cost of machinery and other expenses. The scheme has been a huge success, while the department has successfully established various Karkhandar units across Jammu District and advance training is given to the artisans and weavers.
Despite the sector being labor intensive with low capital investment and huge potential to generate employment and adapt to the changing innovations and developments, it is facing the problem of absence of systematic production lines to match demand and supply. The Handloom Department of Jammu is working constantly to bridge the gap through infrastructure development, skill up gradation, design, and product development, so that not only the artisans and weavers get better remuneration for their products but better marketing facilities too.
(The author is a Jr. KAS Officer, and presently posted as Assistant Director, Handloom Jammu.)
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