JOIN USKhadi handloom units grounded in grime
The khadi handloom units, which were once the pride of the nation, have been grounded in grime in Dharwad district. There are as many as seven khadi handloom units in Dharwad district, some of which were set up before independence.
The Bengeri Khadi Federation in Hubballi; Karnataka Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha; Garag Kshetriya Seva Sangha; Khadi Handloom Weavers’ Association Uppinbetageri; Kshetriya Seva Sangha, Hebballi; Dharwad Taluk Seva Sangha and Beereshwar Sheep & Wool Producers’ Co-Operative Society at Mantur near Hubballi have been waiting for decades for financial aid from the State and Union governments. The Khadi Handloom Weavers’ Association at Uppinbetageri, which was unable to repay a Rs five lakh bank loan, was shut down in 2018.
Set up in one acre of land, the thread prepared at this unit had a market in Coimbatore, Ahmedabad and Surat. With an annual turnover of Rs 50 lakh, it provided employment to almost 1,000 people.
The khadi handloom unit at Garag, set up in 1956, received a face-lift in 1975 and was tasked with making the national tri-colour. This unit generated Rs 1.42 crore in revenue on an average each year.
But the lack of financial assistance from the government means it has not been able to procure raw materials, affecting production.
Dharwad Khadi Seva Sangha President Narahari Kaginelli told that the Khadi handloom units in Dharwad district have been instrumental in the promotion of khadi products.
From the last five years, the government has to pay an outstanding sum of Rs 110 crore in financial aid to the seven Khadi handloom units in the district.
Unless this amount is sanctioned, it is difficult for units to survive, he added.
The lack of motivation and political will to sustain khadi units through innovation and marketing platforms have also led to the decline of these weaves.