The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Chief Minister’s visit to Sircilla raises weavers’ hopes

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Monday, Oct 13, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Chief Minister’s visit to Sircilla raises weavers’ hopes

Staff Reporter

–Photo: Uppu Damodar

Healing touch: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy consoling the family members of weavers, who committed suicide, during his visit to Sircilla in Karimnagar district on Sunday.

SIRCILLA (KARIMNAGAR DT):

The local residents were all praise for Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy for visiting the textile town on Sunday and consoling the bereaved families of powerloom weavers, who had committed suicide due to unemployment and increasing debts. The Chief Minister had won hearts of the weavers by announcing several sops for their rehabilitation.

Though the crisis started in the Sircilla powerloom industry from the year 2000 with the introduction of jet and auto looms in neighbouring states, the Chief Minister visited Sircilla for the first time on Sunday to console the bereaved families and inquire about their living conditions.

The Chief Minister observed that the benefits of 50 per cent power subsidy provided by the government was helping only the master weavers and not real workers. He instructed the district administration to take necessary measures to increase the wages of the powerloom weavers by holding talks with the owners, who were enjoying the benefits of power subsidy.

Appeal

During his speech, the Chief Minister did not blame any political party for the crisis in the powerloom sector in Sircilla. However, he appealed to the powerloom weavers not to resort to the suicides and displace their families. “ face the situation courageously”, he told the weavers.

He praised the courage of the womenfolk of the weavers, who were eking out their livelihood by rolling beedies and doing other menial jobs. Says a trade union leader of powerloom workers union, the Chief Minister had rightly understood the real problem of distressed powerloom weavers by visiting the Sircilla town.

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