The Tamil Nadu Federation of Handloom Weavers’ Associations, headquartered in Erode district, has submitted a petition to the State Minister for Handlooms and Khadi, M. Vijay Balaji, requesting urgent measures to safeguard the livelihood of weavers and revive the handloom industry, which is on the verge of collapse.
In their petition, the federation expressed gratitude to the Tamil Nadu Government and the Handloom Minister for issuing an order to produce dhotis and sarees for the Pongal Festival in 2027, with an initial allocation of ₹300 crore. They also welcomed the decision to distribute last year’s stock of dhotis and sarees to senior citizen pension beneficiaries during the upcoming Deepavali festival, thereby creating additional employment opportunities for weavers.
However, the federation pointed out that the government order has restricted production to only 1.77 lakh dhotis and sarees, which is insufficient to sustain employment. They urged the government to extend the scheme to all ration cardholders so that weavers could secure continuous employment for at least six months.
The federation also highlighted that the length of dhotis, which was previously 3.75 meters, has now been reduced to 2 meters. This reduction forces weavers to tie knots more frequently, thereby lowering production efficiency. In view of rising costs, they demanded that the minimum wage for producing one dhoti be fixed at ₹20 and insisted that the government ensure the full wage reaches the weavers without deductions.
Furthermore, they requested the government to announce a toll-free number facility so that weavers who receive reduced wages can immediately lodge complaints with the Handloom Department.
The federation now awaits the government’s official announcement regarding the wage hike and the introduction of a toll-free complaint number, hoping that both full production and fair wages will be guaranteed to sustain the handloom sector.