Govt allots 48cr to handloom workers

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has allotted Rs 48 crore for clearing the wage arrears of handloom workers who had supplied school uniforms for students this academic year, 'which will be distributed in a couple of days'.
"The amount is sanctioned for clearing the wages pending from June and for meeting the cost of yarns bought from spinning mills," said an official release issued here on Monday. The amount has been sanctioned for the education department, which will hand over the fund to the handloom directorate functioning under the industries department.
The handloom directorate will transfer the money to the bank accounts of handloom societies or individual workers through district industrial centres. The required fund is being mobilized from Kerala state financial corporation (KSFE), the release said.
The delay in disbursement of wages for handloom workers was due to the central government's inordinate delay in releasing state's share of funds. The state government had made a special allocation for the free school uniform project and had disbursed the amount as one or two installments, the release said.
Under the project, free school uniforms were provided to 8.5 lakh students this academic year (a total of 42-lakh metre of cloth) and the target is to cover 10 lakh students and distribute 48-lakh metres of cloth.