Tailors association alleges major scam in uniform orders

This would also affect the quality of the uniforms, she said, pointing out that earlier, when works were executed locally, Education department officials and headmasters would check the quality.

Hyderabad: The State government’s decision to entrust the task of stitching the school uniforms exclusively to women SHGs or their federations has left many tailors in distress, with the Telangana Tailors Association on Tuesday saying that in the guise of DWCRA groups, agencies from neighbouring States were executing the uniform stitching orders.

Since 12 years, tailors have been stitching uniforms for government school students at nominal rates.

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The State government’s decision to support DWCRA women was welcome but misusing the opportunity, a few other agencies were executing the orders, Association Secretary Varalakshmi said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

“Can one woman handle the task of one entire district’s requirements and deliver quality uniforms in time? The uniforms are being stitched by different agencies in Ananthapur, Vijayawada and Solapur,” Varalakshmi said, adding that this was a major scam and severely affecting the livelihood of local tailors and also that of DWCRA women.

This would also affect the quality of the uniforms, she said, pointing out that earlier, when works were executed locally, Education department officials and headmasters would check the quality.

However, now, the agencies taking up the works would lack any commitment and in case if there were any quality issues, the respective DWCRA groups would be held responsible, she said appealing to the government to hand over the task of stitching uniforms to local tailors and ensure that agencies from other States did not execute the works.

Further, DWCRA women had also given up the work, citing lack of financial viability at Rs.50 per uniform. However, officials had not taken up the issue with Chief Minister A SHGs and were handing over the orders of lakhs of uniforms to other agencies, she said.

The State government had in March issued orders asking District Collectors to work out details of the number of school uniforms to be stitched department-wise in their districts.

At the State level, 63.44 lakh pairs of uniforms were to be stitched for the Education department and residential welfare schools. To get the uniforms stitched in 45 days, 28,200 SHG women tailors were required.