Nirmala Sitharaman assures to establish a handloom cluster at Ponduru in Srikakulam district
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She says Modi government extending a helping hand to the handloom sector.
Union Minister for Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that the Narendra Modi government was giving top priority for Khadi and all handloom products by taking a series of steps including the establishment of exclusive mega handloom clusters.
Handloom marketing has gone up to ₹18,000 crore in 2020-21 as against ₹9,000 crore in 2014-15, she said while participating as a chief guest at the National Handloom Day celebrations in Ponduru village of Srikakulam district.
She said the government contemplated establishing a handloom cluster in Ponduru on the lines of Mangalagiri in Guntur district.
Mrs. Sitharaman directed NABARD and the Lead Bank officials to give loans to a maximum number of Khadi artisans. “Ponduru Khadi is famous all over the country. It needs to get a helping hand for further development. We will try to extend more loans to facilitate the adoption of new technologies in weaving. “
Deputy Chief Minister Dharmana Krishnadas and AP Legislative Assembly Speaker Thammineni Seetharam and Minister for Finance Buggana Rajendranath Reddy sought the Union government’s support for handloom industry in the State.
Srikakulam MP K. Rammohan Naidu sought a GI tag for Ponduru Khadi to get international recognition and remunerative prices for products.
Srikakulam Collector Shrikesh B. Lathkar said proposals were being made for the establishment of a handloom cluster in Ponduru village.
Earlier, the Union Minister garlanded a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, who lauded Ponduru Khadi products during his visit to Andhra Pradesh in 1942. She visited stalls in the exhibition and interacted with the artisans.
MPs Bellana Chandrasekhar and G.V.L. Narasimha Rao and Etcherla MLA Gorle Kirankumar and senior officials were present.
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