Weavers go into a tailspin as State buys uniforms from Gujarat

The State government’s move to buy uniforms from Gujarat – to be provided free to primary and high school students under the ‘Vidya Vikasa’ project – has caused heartburn among the native weavers here.

The Primary and Secondary Education Department has already invited tenders worth Rs 15 crore from private companies in Gujarat.

Until last year, the Karnataka State Handloom Development Corporation supplied the required quantity of uniforms to the State Department as per the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the corporation and the department.

But thanks to Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri’s ‘special affection’ for Gujarat, uniforms are being bought from that state since the last academic year.

Private firms favoured

This year too, private firms from Gujarat have been favoured.

At present, schools in Gulbarga, Belgaum and Bangalore educational districts are being provided uniforms by the State corporation. Schools in the education district of Mysore are supplied uniforms from Gujarat.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, M D Lakshminarayana, President of the Karnataka State Weavers Association and Chairperson of the Corporation, urged the government to not ignore the State’s poor weavers and purchase uniforms from them.

The chief minister, the Education minister and BJP State president K S Eshwarappa have been urged to promote local weavers.

Unfair rules

“Despite this, Minister Kageri is adamant about purchasing  uniforms from Gujarat. He is giving lame excuses saying the corporation has not been able to provide the required quantity of uniforms, hence Gujarat is being preferred. The government gives a deadline of just one month to weaving units in the State to provide uniforms. This is unfair,” he said.

There are 70 lakh weaving units in the State and 12 lakh families are involved in the occupation.

They can provide 50 lakh metres of cloth.

Lakshminarayana also demanded that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda intervene and initiate measures to protect weavers across the State.

They would launch a protest, if the Education minister failed to change his stand, he added.