Handlooms sector is the second largest economic activity after agriculture with around 44 lakh handloom weavers in the country of which 3.90 lakh are scheduled caste weavers. In this endeavor, the CMD of the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment signed an MoU with the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) under the Ministry of Textiles to help scheduled caste (SC) weavers and their families by promoting production and marketing of high-value quality handlooms products at Block level Cluster in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, etc.
This endeavour shall enable SC weavers to sharpen their skills for production and marketing of high value quality handloom products and better marketing linkages and therefore to have more income. As both the MoU signing parties shall popularise the schemes of DC (Handlooms) amongst the SC weavers through awareness programmes and advertisements in electronic/print media in SC weavers concentrated areas and collaborate for capacity building including skill upgradation and economic development of SC weavers and their families for achieving the desired outcome.