Govt places 4.24-cr meter cloth order for Sircilla weavers

On Monday, the Congress-led government placed an order with the weavers of Sircilla, a prominent textile town, for the production of 4.24 crore meters of cloth to be used for weaving Indira Mahila Sakti saris. The order was handed over by TESCO General Manager Ashok Rao to Sircilla Textiles Department Assistant Director Sagar.
This initiative is part of the state government’s ongoing efforts to provide steady employment for the region’s weavers. The new government had previously placed similar orders, including for school uniforms. The saris are meant to be distributed free of charge to women in self-help groups (SHGs). The first phase of the project involves weaving 4.24 crore meters of cloth, with a deadline set for April 30 to complete the order.
Following the completion of weaving, the cloth will be transported to Hyderabad in the first week of May for printing and further processing. Officials estimate the saris will be ready by June or July after about two months of design and finishing work.
In support of the weavers, the state government is providing yarn from a newly established yarn bank in Vemulawada, which was set up in October with an investment of Rs 50 crore. This replaces the previous practice under the BRS regime, where weavers had to source yarn from traders.
Sircilla is home to over 21,000 power looms, and around 6,000 workers are directly employed in the weaving industry, with an additional 3,000 working in ancillary sectors. Over 1,600 master weavers also depend on this industry. The state government’s ongoing orders have been crucial in providing year-round work for these workers. Around 95% of the saris distributed to SHG women are produced by the Sircilla weavers.
In addition to placing new orders, the Congress government is working to clear outstanding dues owed to the weavers by the previous BRS government. Recently, the Congress administration paid Rs 222 crore in dues for Bathukamma saris, along with Rs 500 crore for various other projects, including Ramzan textiles, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan uniforms, and the Har Ghar Tiranga flag campaign.
Ashok Rao, the TESCO Manager in Hyderabad, confirmed that the state government has placed the order for 4.24 crore meters of cloth, which will be used to produce 65 lakh saris for SHG women. With this order, Sircilla weavers are expected to have work for the next eight months.
Sircilla Polyester Association President Adepu Bhaskar expressed gratitude to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for the order, noting that the textile industry had been facing a crisis. He credited the government’s efforts for helping stabilize the industry and providing work to the weavers, which has contributed to reducing the troubling trend of suicides among workers.