FINANCE

STATE AID TO HANDLOOM INDUSTRY

The handloom industry is the major cottage industry in the State next in importance to agriculture and provides employment to a large section of the rural population. It meets a considerable portion of village requirements in regard to clothing. Since 1954 the industry is showing signs of revival and progress, largely in con sequence of the liberal and effective measures adopted by the Government of India and the State Government. To this effect the Co-operative Department of the State under its section of Industrial Co-operatives and Village Industries grants loans for the develop ment of handloom industry. In 1954-55 loans up to Rs. 10,000 were sanctioned for handloom development scheme in Ratnagiri district. In the following year the State again made loans to the extent of Rs. 9,730,under the same scheme for the whole district. There is another scheme under which a co-ordinated and comprehensive pro gramme of development of this industry with a view to modernising its technique and improving productive efficiency of the industry, has been taken up at an all India level and is being financed from the special cess levied by the Government of India on Indian textiles. Under this programme, assistance is given for introduction of improv ed looms, formation of weavers' co-operative societies and for working capital required by the weavers.

Since the constitution of the All India Handloom Board in 1953 and the creation of a cess fund, there has been rapid progress in the development of the industry. The share of the State in the cess fund for the financial year 1955-56 was fixed at Rs. 38.98 lakhs. During that year a number of schemes were submitted to the All India Hand-loom Board for scrutiny and sanction for financial assistance. In addition the schemes sanctioned by Government of India up to the end of the financial year 1954-55, continued to be implemented The Government of India sanctioned additional amounts under such schemes whenever necessary.

The programme for the development of the handloom industry which is financed from the special cess was initiated in Ratnagiri district, during the First Plan period and assistance was given to some societies among which the Devang Weavers' Co-operative Society, Kankavli, the Dabhol Weavers' Society, Dabhol and the Mhapral Weavers' Co-operative Society, Mhapral, were the most important. During the Second Five-Year Plan, one more weavers' co-operative society will be established in the district and the other ancillary programme for the development of that industry will be continued.

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