Wear khadi on first Monday of every month: Collector to staff

SRIKAKULAM: To support handloom weavers and promote Ponduru khadi, District Collector Shrikesh B Lathkar has issued an order directing government employees to wear khadi on the first Monday of every month.

Issuing the order, the Collector made it clear that though wearing Ponduru khadi is not mandatory for the government employees, they should feel the responsibility to safeguard the livelihood of weavers and preserve the traditional weaving art from extinction.

Speaking to TNIE, Lathkar said, “Though khadi is renowned globally, the economic status of handloom weavers is not satisfactory. There is a need to provide adequate incentives to weavers, besides extending support to improve their living conditions. I hope district and divisional level officials will follow the order issued keeping in mind the economic uplift of weavers.’’

Ponduru in Srikakulam district is famous for handspun fine khadi and handlooms. It is the only village that uses single spindle to spin fine khadi. More than 6,000 weavers and workers are dependent on khadi and handloom industry in the district for their livelihood. Though Ponduru khadi has a glorious past, it has lost sheen now due to poor patronage. 

The plight of khadi and handloom weavers came to light after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Ponduru on August 7 marking National Handloom Day. Following the directions of the Finance Minister and the State government, the Collector initiated measures to promote khadi and handloom fabrics in a big way.