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Powerloom Weavers Urge Tamil Nadu Govt to Issue GO for Free Dhoti-Saree Production

L Rajagopal SimpliCity News Team · 05 Jun 2026

Coimbatore, June 5: Representatives of the Tamil Nadu Weavers Associations have appealed to the state government to immediately issue the Government Order (GO) for the production of free dhotis and sarees distributed under the Pongal welfare scheme, emphasizing that an early announcement would ensure sustained employment for thousands of powerloom workers.

In their appeal to the Tamil Nadu government, State President Subramaniam and State Secretary Kandavel emphasized that the textile sector, particularly handloom and powerloom weaving, is one of the state’s largest sources of employment after agriculture.

They noted that more than five lakh powerlooms are functioning across 28 districts in the state, providing direct and indirect employment to several lakh workers. Through over 250 primary powerloom cooperative weaving societies, nearly 60,000 powerlooms receive work for more than six months annually through the production of free dhotis and sarees, garments for old-age pension beneficiaries, and school uniform fabric.

The association pointed out that the state government distributes approximately 1.77 crore dhotis and sarees through the Public Distribution System during the Pongal festival every year. They urged the government to consider extending the scheme to cover all 2.22 crore ration card holders in Tamil Nadu for the forthcoming Pongal season.

According to the weavers, the production process must commence well in advance to ensure timely distribution. They requested the government to issue the necessary GO at the earliest so that manufacturing can be completed by the end of December and the welfare items distributed during the first week of January.

They further suggested that yarn production could be initiated through CCL in the state’s six cooperative spinning mills, enabling the first phase of dhoti production to commence by the second week of July. Saree production, they said, could begin in the first week of August following the completion of yarn procurement tenders, facilitating the smooth and timely execution of the entire programme.

Stressing the importance of the scheme to the weaving community, the association urged the Chief Minister to expedite the issuance of the Government Order and thereby protect the livelihoods of thousands of weavers and workers dependent on the sector.

The association said a formal memorandum outlining its demands has already been submitted to the Tamil Nadu government.

powerloom weavers tamil nadu government pongal scheme dhoti saree welfare textile industry government order coimbatore employment

Powerloom Weavers Urge Tamil Nadu Govt to Issue GO for Free Dhoti-Saree Production

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