Nilayur weavers say TN government did nothing for their development, urge for debt waivers

The weaving community of Nilayur village near Madurai allege that the ruling AIADMK Tamil Nadu government has done nothing for the development of weavers in the state.

Speaking to , Santha Ram who is the Vice President of Bharat Handloom Weavers Association said that the silk that is produced in Nilayur is exported to Gujarat and Maharashtra. "Our lives have been affected the most, during the time of Corona Pandemic. The silk that is produced here is exported to Maharashtra and Gujarat."

Santha Ram said that here are 500 handloom weavers in Nilayur village near Madurai. "We all have faced a lot of problems during the lockdown due to the Corona pandemic. This Tamil Nadu Government has done nothing for weavers. We expect that at least the next government would do something for the weaver community."

He further said that the government must waive off the loans of the weavers. "The government must waive off all the loans and debts on the weavers and furthermore government must also provide weavers with Pucca houses."

Saroja, a handloom weaver said that she earns Rs 400 per every saree she makes and it would take her 45 to 60 days to earn Rs.4,900. She said, "I lost my husband and being a widow, the government provides me with Rs. 1,000 per month. By weaving sarees, I earn Rs.400 per saree and to earn Rs.4,900 is takes me around 45 to 60 days."

She said, "I request the government to increase widow pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000."

Rajan, a weaver from Nilayur said that the government of Tamil Nadu has done nothing for the weaver community. He urged the government to build houses for the weavers and provide a government job for the weavers family.

Pream Kumar said that the AIADMK government has ruled here for ten years and has done nothing for weavers and said that they want to change this and said that they want Kamal Hassan to come to power in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Tamil Nadu is set to head to the polls in a single phase election commencing on April 6.

( With inputs from ANI )