AN EXCLUSIVE EYES: AGE OLD COMPETETION BETWEEN HANDLOOM AND POWERLOOMS

  ABSTRACT: Handloom sector is the biggest employment generator after agriculture and brings a substantial amount of foreign exchange that has a vital role to play in our Indian economy. However, in recent times the sector is facing a wide range of problems and challenges due to inappropriate competition between the handloom sector and emerging power loom penetration into a wider market. According to a recent research around 94% of market holders of handlooms at current phase is the cooperatives. So, this paper, will not only bring light on to the constant decline of handloom worker but also will critically analyse the problems and challenges of this industry and offers some remedial strategies and policy options. Key words: handlooms, power looms, competition, government. INTRODUCTION:

local craft

Handloom sector is the biggest sector to provide direct employment to around 65 lakhs weavers and artisans in India. The sector has a major a contribution of 6% in the gross domestic products of our economy & makes a significant stand of 13% in the exports to the foreign countries. Now there are around 4.33 million number of total number of weavers associated to the economy of India in different variety of climatic conditions and out of which 2.33 million number of handlooms are modified at a primary level for making it more versatile. Even though the industry is subjected to this vast scope of development and has this major role to add onto this vast economy of India, there are major problems faced n terms of its sustenance and survival of the crust of sustainability in it. The sector has a contribution of around 19% in India’s total textile production. The government financial assistance, welfare schemes and developmental programmes have been the reason for its survival in its competition with power looms at this moment. According a report by the Satyam committee for the formulation of the Textile Policy, 2000. One of its principal objectives is coping with the competition at an international level. According to this report, if it has to classify the weavers on the basis of quality of cloths produced. The weavers can be classified in 3 tiers, higher quality (unique, exclusive, high value-added items), the medium tier (not-so-fine counts of yarn), and the lower tier (those producing plains and low-cost textile items). So now what the study suggests is that the lower tier weavers not only produce the lower quality fabrics but also has no market demand. So, the government has suggested that the weavers of lower tier should be shifted to other activities than weaving or to power looms. According to a research by Dr. P.K and Rajesh S most of the unorganised sector employees belonging to textile field have a work life and job satisfaction subjected to issues related to social security and legal protection. In a generalise perception, the women workers are the one who are mostly victimise in the whole thing so, suitable remedial strategies are needed to be framed against the challenges faced in the handloom industries of India. Handloom sector is the biggest sector to provide direct employment to around 65 lakhs weavers and artisans in India. The sector has a major a contribution of 6% in the gross domestic products of our economy & makes a significant stand of 13% in the exports to the foreign countries. Now there are around 4.33 million number of total number of weavers associated to the economy of India in different variety of climatic conditions and out of which 2.33 million number of handlooms are modified at a primary level for making it more versatile. Even though the industry is subjected to this vast scope of development and has this major role to add onto this vast economy of India, there are major problems faced n terms of its sustenance and survival of the crust of sustainability in it. The sector has a contribution of around 19% in India’s total textile production. The government financial assistance, welfare schemes and developmental programmes have been the reason for its survival in its competition with power looms at this moment. According a report by the Satyam committee for the formulation of the Textile Policy, 2000. One of its principal objectives is coping with the competition at an international level. According to this report, if it has to classify the weavers on the basis of quality of cloths produced. The weavers can be classified in 3 tiers, higher quality (unique, exclusive, high value-added items), the medium tier (not-so-fine counts of yarn), and the lower tier (those producing plains and low-cost textile items). So now what the study suggests is that the lower tier weavers not only produce the lower quality fabrics but also has no market demand. So, the government has suggested that the weavers of lower tier should be shifted to other activities than weaving or to power looms. According to a research by Dr. P.K and Rajesh S most of the unorganised sector employees belonging to textile field have a work life and job satisfaction subjected to issues related to social security and legal protection. In a generalise perception, the women workers are the one who are mostly victimise in the whole thing so, suitable remedial strategies are needed to be framed against the challenges faced in the handloom industries of India. HANDLOOM INDUSTRIES IN INDIA: The handloom industry of India caters to 95% of world’s handloom requirements. In general, the challenges are mostly about unparallel growth with regards to its flexibility, versatility, experimentation and encouragement of innovation. Now, power looms can replicate and build designs according to the requirement but the strength of handloom lies in innovative designs which requires manual settings. So, the handlooms are playing the major role of showcasing the heritage of India with its richness and diversity with regards to the artistry of various weavers. The production by the sector has a significant contribution to the national GDP and export earnings. According to reports by ministry of textiles the export earnings between 1998-1999 has been 1956 crore and employment generation around 12.5 million, considered as the largest rural employment provider after agriculture. It is also the reason for employment generation in semi-urban and urban section of India. According to many research and surveys conducted by various research institutions over the last decades the country has more than 38 lakhs handlooms. It has also suggested that out of the total handlooms around 15 lakhs belongs to North-eastern states. It has been concluded that the handlooms in Northern and Southern India are geared mostly for commercial need of domestic and export market. There have been remarkable changes in the nature and structure of the handloom sector with regards to technology, production and marketing since 1960s. If we see closely there has been parallel line of changes have been occurring social lives of these all weaver communities with respect to their survival responses. There has been a tremendous increase in the production of handloom sector from 1.5 lakhs in 1963 to 3.09 lakhs in next decade.

local craft practiced by young generation

The growth of power looms in the 60s till this time has added many difficulties in the survival of weavers of the handloom sector. It has directly impacted the handloom sector with regards to production, weavers, designs and requirement of time interval. Now, there are many reasons responsible for the fall of handloom sector which can be divided into three heads, A) Independent weavers, B) Cooperative society and C) Master-weaver sectors. PROBLEMS OF HANDLOOM INDUSTRY IN INDIA: 60s was the era when the cheaper and low-priced power loom product started penetrating in the Indian market and especially in the countryside. This was also the point of handloom sector when the sector had undergone cut throat competition in the comparison to former times. The next biggest problems were rise in prices of cotton hanks and the available dye. The main reason behind this was mostly rising independent weavers and small-time master-weaver-cum- traders. Towards 70s there was a major displacement of independent weavers into urban power loom sector and also started working under master-weavers. This was not the case all the time since many young weavers started getting into booming employment opportunities in urban areas which was relatively better with regard to wage assurance and continuity perspective. The next best alternative with the handloom industry was a cooperative society, which had the accountability for a vast proportion of weavers after master- weaver segment. The next biggest interruption was increasing political and governmental interference which drifted the cooperative society away from there actual moto and also led to development bureaucratised and corrupted tendencies. The actual job of cooperative society is to ensure the availability of raw materials and wage payments. But still the cooperative society stood ineffective in meeting the regular supply of raw materials and timely wage payment which lately force the average weavers to incline for jobs under master-weavers. So, this has left many cooperative societies gone none functional and many floating. All of this in a wholesome perspective has led to credibility crisis for many cooperative societies in India. In our next head it is about the master-weaver system. Here the master-weaver produces the crafted clothes via wage labourers. The master-weaver is the one who is responsible for production and commercialisation by the sector to the traders. Now there are two types of production practices that was prevalently followed in the system. The first one is where the weaver will work from home on his own loom with the support of master-weaver regarding the raw material and other necessities. In this production process the adults of the family will be engaged in weaving related activities in particular and others will help in the pre-preparatory process. Then the weaver will be payed accordingly and this process is called as the “Put-out system”. In the second process the weavers will be working under a same roof, on the looms provided by the master-weaver this process is called as “Karkhana system”. With 1990s and the trade liberalisation there was major crisis witnessed in the handloom industries especially due to the rise prices in the yarn and dyes. The master-weavers were no more inclined to continue production and weavers were pushed into hunger and suicide. After this phase, the weavers started getting shifting and the sector started becoming loom less and loom ideal. Since the weavers were no more with their looms and it was all ideal back in their villages. The priority of handloom weavers was completely moving around the productivity, efficiency and competitiveness with the new power loom units. The major strength of the handloom sector is its ability to commercially produce in small volumes covering quick switches to variations in newer designs and exquisite looks of the designs. This is something which isn't very possible with the power looms. According to research report by Meera seth the handloom sector can only survive by market acceptance and commercial viability with respect to export growth business strategy and design outcome which can not be replicate on power loom. The handloom weaver remains badly fostered by government schemes for more than five decades which made the whole sector completely dependent on the government. Only the upper sector of the weaver community could make their way towards survival and Esurance the competition, whereas, a major crust of average weavers ended up giving up their occupation. The sector had a complex picture of diversity, which became lately realised strength of the handloom sector. The future of this sector can only be ensured with an organised struggle of all the weavers against unaware anti-handloom policy. The financial crisis was also something which can be talked major head. There was a limited financial availability of resources for the majority of handloom weavers with respect to simple marketing and at an operational level. This problem always comes in between the final product and the final market and has always resulted in decrease in market share. Even though the sector is largely supported by the government has largely made financial assistance programmes and welfare schemes for the benefit of this sector as whole but the sector needs a complete movement for its survival. The third handloom census of the country says that more than 25% of children want to perceive their future in the handloom sector as their profession. It has the workforce with around 77% of women workforce, but still the sector is largely missing in terms of its basic facilities and other necessities. Prime minister Narendra Modi in his statements has urged many times that every Indian should buy, at least on handloom product made up of Khadi, ranging from bedsheets to handkerchiefs. The sector accounts for 11% of fabric production in India which resulted in 2812 crores of exports for the year of 2012-13 and has created even more job opportunities than the IT sectors in the 1 st quarter of the fiscal year of 2010. There are even other challenges faced with regards to the accusation of the yarn requirements, the National Development corporation is accountable for ore than 15% of yarn requirements by the handloom sector. The recent planning commission has mentioned the availability of common facility center which will be accessed by all the weavers at a marginal charge. The yarn and dyeing depots were made available these centres which can be democratically accessed by these weavers. Now, these are the not only problems, but also there are other problems such as, irregular payment of dues, lack of rebate assistance to the weaving accessories and higher rate of interests on financial loans etc. Now, even if we see everything and every ideology has an equal right to exist on this planet. So, the power looms do exist and there is nothing wrong with the power looms but its all about how handloom can make its presence. Handlooms need more weavers than power looms, so what it is necessary is that it should give more focus on the variation in its design types. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The power looms started its penetration into the main market in 1960s, since then handloom industry has gradually seen its declination with regards to its survival. People have all the rights to what there is available in the mainstream market and the only thing that is given is there incomes. So, we can’t just keep on sympathising on the survival on the name of “hand crafted”. Thew designs need to touch the sensibilities beyond just the fact that the weavers are not well paid and we need to protect our handlooms on national handloom day. The design sensibility has to be such that it doesn’t need any kind of sympathies to sustain but its own relevance which could be self-explained when our handloom products make it to the market. At the same time, we can’t undermine the fact that handloom can’t compete the monotonously producing power looms, but then handlooms can provide thousands of designs on a single set up (only handlooms can give us many designs on a single warp setting). The government has to reorient it’s focus on making the weavers self- dependent. There has to be training by government where the weavers can understand how to market their products and to stay all updated about the welfare schemes. The unskilled weavers need to be trained well, with respect to advancement in technologies and with respect to making cost effective products. The competition can never be avoided but handloom can survive on its own with design and marketing sensibilities because if anything with complete sympathy base doesn’t last longer. REFERENCE: 1. K. Srinivasulu, 2010, Textile Policy and Handloom Sector, Serials Publications, New Delhi –02. 2. Dr. Manoj P K, and Rajesh S (2013), “Job Satisfaction and Quality of Work Life: Impact on Industrial Relations in Textile Units in Kannur District, Kerala”, Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol. 3, Issue 11. Nov. 2013, pp.305- 308. (Available online at www.theglobaljournals.com/ijar) 3. Dr. Monica Bansal, Dr. Arti Gaur, 2008, Strategic Decisions and marketing Perspectives of Handloom Export Units –A Case Study of Panipat District (Haryana) 4. Anne T. Kuriakose, 2010, Policies for Regional Development: The Case of Handloom Textiles, with reference to Andhra Pradesh, Serials Publications, New Delhi –02. 5. HANDLOOM INDUSTRY IN KERALA: A STUDY OF THE PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES By Anu Varghese and Dr. M H Salim