SME Times News Bureau | 11 Jul, 2019
Official
data released on Wednesday showed that employment in the textiles sector has
increased for the last few years.
As per the
latest available Annual Survey of Industries, employment in the Textiles and
Wearing Apparel were 25.27 lakh in 2014-15, 26.48 lakh in 2015-16 and 26.97
lakh in 2016-17, Textiles Ministry data showed.
Government
has been implementing various schemes for welfare and development of textile
workers/weavers including handicraft artisans.
Under the
group insurance scheme for powerloom workers, insurance cover is provided to
all powerloom weavers/workers in the case of natural death, accidental death as
well as partial and permanent disability due to accident.
Additionally,
the weavers/workers enrolled under this scheme are entitled for educational
grant of Rs. 600/- per child half-yearly for two children studying in 9th
to12th standard for a maximum period of 4 years.Under the scheme,
total number of powerloom weavers/workers enrolled was 1.11 lakh in 2015-16,
1.32 lakh in 2016-17 and 1.62 lakh in 2017-18.
Under the
Textile Workers Rehabilitations Fund Scheme (TWRFS) which has been merged with
the Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana (RGSKY) of the Ministry of Labour&
Employment, the textile workers rendered jobless due to permanent closure of
the mills, are provided a relief of 75% of the wage employment in the first
year, 50% in the second and 25% in the third year.
Under the
“Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme, (HWCWS), life and accidental
insurance are provided to handloom weavers/workers in the age groups of 18-50
years. It was, then, converged under Mahatma Gandhi BunkarBimaYojana (MGBBY).
The HWCWS has been merged under Pradhan MantriJeevanJyotiBimaYojana (PMJJBY)
and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana (PMSBY).
Total of
targeted enrollment of weavers/workers under the PMJJBY and converged MGBBY are
5.32 lakh for 2017-18 and 6.65 lakh for 2018-19 which include 3.84 lakh for
general states and 2.84 lakh for North Eastern States.
As add on
benefit to the above, scholarship@Rs. 180/- per month per child isprovided toa
maximum of two children of the beneficiaries studying 9th to 12th
standard.
Welfare
programmes being implemented for handicraft artisansare Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi
Swasthya Bima Yojana (RGSSBY), BimaYojana for Handicrafts Artisans (Aam Admi
Bima Yojana (AABY), support to artisans in indigent circumstances, credit
guarantee scheme, interest subvention scheme and issue of identify cards and
creation of data-base.