The government plans to facilitate loans at concessional interest rates for artisans and weavers belonging to the Scheduled Caste, with Textiles and Social Justice Ministries inking a pact in this regard on Friday.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) and the National Scheduled Caste Finance and Development Corporation.

The two parties will also collaborate for capacity building including skill upgradation and economic development of Scheduled Caste weavers and their families besides organising exhibitions and fairs for providing marketing assistance to enhance their earnings.

According to the pact, they will promote production and marketing of high quality handloom products at block level clusters in States such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha.

Sharpening skills

“This endeavour shall enable Scheduled Caste weavers to sharpen their skills for production and marketing of high quality handloom products and better marketing linkages and, therefore, to have more income,” an official statement said. The pact was signed in the presence of Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot here. The DC (Handlooms) and the National Scheduled Caste Finance and Development Corporation come under the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, respectively. “There was a time in India where ministers did not talk to each other and the conflict between ministers used to be front-page news,” Irani said.

The collaboration between the two ministries was proof of how various arms of the NDA government work in conjunction with each other, she added.

75% subsidy for courses

The Minister informed that from April 1, Schedule Caste artisans and weavers are being provided 75 per cent subsidy on taking up courses from Indira Gandhi National Open University and National Institute of Open Studies, to extend quality education to those belonging to backward communities.