The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Inflation casts shadow on powerloom weavers

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Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Inflation casts shadow on powerloom weavers

K. M. Dayashankar

Over 300 weavers have committed suicide since 1997 in Sircilla town also known as ‘Solapur of Andhra Pradesh’

TOUGH LIFE: A weaver working on the powerloom in Sircilla town of Karimnagar district.

SIRCILLA(KARIMNAGAR DT): Inflation has cast its shadow in Sircilla town, known as the ‘Solapur of Andhra Pradesh’, as it has the largest number of powerloom weavers in the State.

Even as weavers are trying to get over the spectre of starvation deaths and suicides due to unemployment and increasing debts, they now have to reckon with the sudden increase in prices of essential commodities. Those who are living a hand-to-mouth existence are taking debts to meet their daily needs.

“The prices are increasing day by day, but our wages have remained the same for long. We work for about 12 hours on the loom and earn only about Rs. 80 to Rs. 100 a day depending upon the production of cloth. If we abstain from work due to illness, we are not paid,” says R. Shankar, a powerloom weaver of Sundaraiahnagar of Sircilla town.

Adding to their woes, is frequent power cut which forces them to sit idle. “There is no end to the problems of powerloom weavers of Sircilla since the advent of jet and auto looms in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. We do not have a source of assured income to meet the growing challenges,” he adds.

Fear of suicides

Ambati Laxminarayana, 55, fears that suicide rate among powerloom weavers might increase because of inflation and decline in the wages. Over 300 weavers have committed suicide since 1997. Laxminarayana works on 10 powerlooms at a time to get a daily wage of about Rs. 100 as he has to repay the debts of nearly Rs. 30,000 he has incurred for performing the marriage of his two daughters. Throughout the day, he has to stand while working on the loom.

He has forced his son to work in a small kirana shop to supplement the family’s income. “We are unable to consume rice supplied under the Rs. 2-a-kg scheme because of its poor quality. Earlier, we used to collect rice under Annapurna Antyodaya Yojana (AAY) scheme at the rate of Rs. 3-a-kg and buy 35 kg a month,” he says.

Meagre wages

S. Mallesham, a powerloom workers’ union leader, says the weavers, being in an unorganised sector, are not being paid the minimum wages and they do not have the facility of provident fund or health insurance.

Loom-owners exploit the situation and force them to seek loans and thereby making them work like slaves, he complains.

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