Higher insurance cover for handloom weavers in the works

The ministry of textiles plans to increase the insurance cover for handloom weavers, a sector that is on the government radar for occupation creation, more than three-fold in some cases. The Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana provides insurance to handloom weavers in the case of natural and accidental death and total and partial disability.

The ministry has proposed increasing the cover for accidental death from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. In case of natural death, benefit may be raised to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 60,000 now.

“The ministry is working to increase the insurance cover for weavers in the handloom sector…it will encourage more weavers to get covered in the insurance net,” said an official from the textile ministry.

The government released Rs 16.67 crore under the scheme in 2015-16 compared with Rs 16.39 crore in 2014-15, when 5.74 lakh weavers were enrolled. The benefit is restricted to two children of the member.

The textile sector is the country’s second-largest employer.

“It is a good move to increase protection for weavers as this is the only scheme in which the benefits directly get accrued to them,” said textile expert DK Nair

Recent Posts

LYCRA showcases renewable fiber innovations

The LYCRA Company is presenting a range of new fibre technologies, focusing on performance, comfort and the use of recycled…

3 days ago

DITF explores converting wind turbine blades into textile fibers

The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf is exploring how retired wind turbine blades could be turned into…

3 days ago

Corn, beeswax-based textile treatment to offer PFAS finishes alternative

University of Texas has developed a textile treatment made from corn-derived protein and beeswax to help fabrics resist water and…

3 days ago

Researchers develop selective recycling process for polyester blends

Researchers have developed a recycling process to break down polyester in blended textiles while preserving cotton and spandex present in…

4 days ago

Aalto researchers remove dye from cotton for recycling

Researchers have developed a two-step process that can remove up to 99.3% of colour from reactive-dyed cotton while keeping most…

4 days ago

Indorama Ventures partners to launch biodegradable wash mitt

Schülke, Nitto, Indorama Ventures and Polymateria have launched a new biodegradable disposable wash mitt in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Spain.

4 days ago