The Handlooms and Textiles Department has released a textile calendar for procuring cloth from weavers commencing from May to April every year. This decision would not only reduce the burden on the State’s exchequer but also ensure livelihood to weavers round-the-year.

Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao, releasing the calendar in Hyderabad on Tuesday said that the State government is striving towards ensuring work for weavers throughout the year and ‘bring light to their lives which were forced into darkness’ by the previous governments.

He stated that the government has decided to procure cloth used for all the government schemes from weavers in Telangana.

Sircilla, which has the highest number of power looms in the State, will get maximum work from the government schemes and benefit the workers.

Instead of procuring cloth from neighbouring States to provide dresses to students under Rajiv Vidya Mission, the TS government is procuring it from Sircilla itself. This had proved to be mutually beneficial for both the State government and the weavers.

The new textile calendar explains the cloth to be procured by the State government for each scheme in a given month. As per the textile calendar, the State government will procure Bathukamma sarees from May to August, and cloth for dresses for distribution among students at Social Welfare Hostels and school uniforms from December to March.

While the cloth meant to distributed among the Christian community during Christmas will be procured in October, textiles meant for distribution among the Muslim community during Ramzan will be purchased in April.

Further, cloth required for schemes like KCR Kits, hospitals and other welfare schemes will also be obtained from weavers in Telangana on a large scale.

The textile calendar will enable weavers to plan their production, from procuring raw material to handing over the end product, well in advance.