"bathukamma-sarees"

Telangana’s weaving sector is facing severe distress with loom closures, rising debts, migration and suicides. Weavers blame the government for unfulfilled pension promises, scrapping Bathukamma saree orders and a stalled loan waiver, causing job losses and pushing thousands out of the profession

Ahead of Telangana gram panchayat polls, Congress has relaunched the Bathukamma saree scheme as Indiramma sarees to woo women voters. Analysts question its impact given delays and unfulfilled promises in housing, welfare, education, and pension schemes for women

For the second year in a row, women in Telangana have been denied free Bathukamma sarees, a tradition upheld by the previous BRS government. The Congress-led administration had promised two sarees annually to SHG women, but delays and confusion have left many disappointed.

As the nation observed National Handloom Day, thousands of Telangana’s weavers had little to celebrate. The State’s once-thriving handloom industry is now reeling from broken promises, debt, and dwindling support. The shelving of key institutions and stalled cooperative society elections have further deepened the crisis.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been making claims about continuing the previous government’s welfare initiatives

Says BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao never played politics in the name of religion, treated people of all religions as human beings

Speaking to reporters in Medak after attending the centenary celebrations of Medak Cathedral on Monday, Harish Rao praised former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for introducing the Christmas and Ramzan gift schemes, aimed at helping people of all religions celebrate their festivals in grand style. He also mentioned that Chandrashekhar Rao had declared Boxing Day a holiday for both schools and offices.

Loans borrowed for various needs are being cited as the main reasons for almost all the suicides so far. Unable to clear debts, weavers are taking the extreme step

"Revanth Reddy has not fulfilled any promises from the Warangal Declaration. Farmers remain distressed, and the schemes introduced during KCR’s regime, like Rythu Bandhu, Bathukamma sarees, and KCR kits, have been scrapped," he said.

The women expressed displeasure over the quality of the sarees and rejected them when officials of Indira Kranthi Pathakam (IKP) were distributing them.

Thousands of weaver families were forced onto the roads due to lack of employment following denial of Bathukamma saree orders, he said

The Bathukamma saree orders were also a blessing in disguise for weavers of Telangana. As a means to provide regular employment and ensure better income, orders for Bathukamma sarees were given to them

Urges the State government to reconsider its decision and resume distribution of Bathukamma sarees

Govt shows no signs of continuing scheme launched by BRS regime

Most of the suicide deaths have been after weavers, sitting idle without work for six months, became unable to run their families, to clear off debts and to afford healthcare expenses.

The biggest blow, weavers say, was the stopping of orders for the Bathukamma Saree Scheme.

After operating looms for one week, they again stalled work as the assurance remained on paper.

The rhythmic rattling of the looms has given way to an eerie silence as a majority of the 25,000 looms in Rajanna Sircilla have been shut due to lack of work orders from the State government

The minister also said the government was spending Rs 500 crore on Bathukamma Sarees.

As many as 1.02 crore sarees with 250 designs were being distributed across the State spending Rs. 354 crore.