Rahul to take weavers’ demands to PM

To mobilise the community,the Congress has started holding weavers’ conventions in collaboration with Momin Conference,a political outfit of weavers which fielded candidates in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections,although without success.

The first such convention was in Varanasi,which has a substantial concentration of weavers. More conventions are planned in Gorakhpur,Kanpur,Saharanpur and other places. The Congress has printed booklets detailing steps taken by the UPA government for the welfare of weavers,like launching health insurance,a technology upgradation fund and marketing and export promotion schemes. The booklet,printed in Hindi and Urdu,also lists demands to be placed before the central and state governments.

The loan waiver tops these demands,which include subsidised silk and cotton yarn to help weavers compete in the international market,launching an NREGA-like scheme for weavers and setting up weavers’ craft mandis in places like Varanasi,Mau,Azamgarh,Meerut and Jaipur.

Joshi said,“Rahul Gandhi is a member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh and he has been raising various issues related to the state. He has met the Prime Minister over the Bundelkhand package,floods and the problems of cane growers. We requested him to take up the issue of a loan waiver for weavers and he agreed.”