Prime Minister, Narendra Modi may announce a package for powerloom sector at Surat, in Gujarat on April one as the state will go to assembly election later this year. This was stated by the textile minister Smriti Irani in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Replying to a question on education for families of weaver community, Irani said two separate MoUs with IGNOU and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have been signed last year only to offer education to those families as 30 per cent of the family members of weavers do not go to school.

These institutions will offer education to them through open schooling and distance learning. Those included Bachelor Prepatory Programme and Computer Literacy Programme.

“So far, 6,175 students from the weaver’ community have been enrolled in Bachelor Prepatory and Computer Literacy Programme identified by IGNOU,” she added.

Highlighting the measures initiated by the government, the textiles minister said to promote the weaving industry and sharpen the traditional skills of the weavers, 288 block level clusters under the National Handloom Development Programme and the Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme have been taken up during 2015-16 and 2016-17.

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