Paturu handloom cluster revival to benefit 200 weaver families

‘Paturu’ handloom weaving, once considered a symbol of pride, will soon make a comeback with the Government of India sanctioning ₹ 76.32 lakh to revive the handloom cluster. There are 200 families in Paturu and Gummalladibba villages in Kovur mandal of SPSR Nellore district, who collectively earn their living through handloom weaving.

The once famous brand ‘Paturu’ has suffered a decline in recent years due to various reasons, including the inability of the artisans to keep up with modern trends and the lack of hands-on training in creating modern designs.

In this connection, Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy met Union Textile Minister Giriraj Singh in November last year to call for setting up a cluster in Paturu under the Small Cluster Development Program (SCDP) as part of the National Handloom Development Program (NHDP).

When the project started taking shape, 84 weaver families received modern equipment worth ₹28 lakh in the first phase, which included a whopping 90 per cent subsidy. The state government, for its part, agreed to pay 5 per cent GST on finished goods, thus making the final product more lucrative.

Mr. Reddy, along with his wife and local MLA Vemireddy Prashanti Reddy, recently visited Paturu village to formally hand over the equipment to the weavers and also disburse MUDRA loans worth ₹25 lakh to 25 beneficiaries.

“Four weavers’ sheds will be set up in this cluster at a cost of ₹ 5 crore to train aspiring artisans in modern and creative designs,” said Mr. Prabhakar Reddy. Meanwhile, Ms. Prashanti Reddy announced that 10 percent of the cost of the equipment will fall to the share of the weavers, making the facility an almost free facility for 200 families.