VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government’s free electricity scheme for handloom weavers has brought cheer to thousands of weaving families across the state, with beneficiaries receiving zero-payment power bills during the first month of the programme’s implementation.
Launched from April 1, the free power scheme fulfils a key promise made ahead of the 2024 elections by the NDA coalition government led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Under the initiative, handloom weavers operating traditional looms are entitled to 200 units of free electricity every month, while powerloom weavers receive 500 units of power free of cost.
Officials said the scheme is expected to benefit nearly 1.04 lakh weaver families.
As electricity bills for May have begun reaching villages over the past two days, weavers are expressing happiness after seeing “zero payment” mentioned on the bills.
The government has identified 50,252 handloom weaving families and 6,995 powerloom families as eligible beneficiaries so far. Efforts are underway to extend the benefit to all the remaining eligible households.
The free power initiative is expected to provide significant financial relief. Handloom weavers are likely to save around ₹720 per month, amounting to ₹8,640 annually, while powerloom families could save nearly ₹1,800 per month or ₹21,600 annually.
Handlooms and Textiles minister S. Savitha said the NDA government’s objective is to ensure year-round employment for weavers. In addition, they want to restore the glory of handloom industry through textile parks and clusters, in addition to enhanced marketing support.
The minister said, “Apart from free electricity, the state government has been implementing several welfare and development measures for the handloom sector. These include monthly pensions of ₹4,000 for weavers above 50 years, annual thrift fund allocations of ₹5 crore, 15 per cent subsidy on yarn, Mudra loans, and distribution of modern equipment with 90 per cent subsidy.”
Further, Savitha pointed out that the government is promoting handloom products, with APCO organising exhibitions and promoting door-delivery through online platforms. She pointed out that ₹24.43 crore in Mudra loans have already been extended to 2,640 handloom workers.
Weavers across the state have thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and minister Nara Lokesh for implementing the free power promise.
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