Bhubaneswar: The state is said to be one among the top 10 states to host the maximum number of allied workers in the weaving sector in the country. The workers are related to weaving and making clothes out of threads during the process of weaving.
According to the 4th All India Handloom Census (2019-2020) Odisha hosts a total of 64,364 allied workers in the weaving sector, the third highest in the country after West Bengal and Assam. West Bengal (2,64,791) and Assam (1,76,453) are said to have the highest numbers of weavers as well as allied workers in the industry. Other states which report the maximum number of allied workers in weaving is Uttar Pradesh with 60,179 workers followed by Andhra Pradesh (49,785).
On the other hand, Odisha also stands among the top five states in terms of hosting the maximum number of weavers from the state. The Census report claims that the highest number of weavers is mostly from the north eastern states. The highest number of weaver population has been recorded from Assam with a total of 11,07,428 weavers which is followed by West Bengal with 3,66,656 weavers. Tamil Nadu stands third with 1,97,818 weavers. The total number of weavers from Odisha is said to be close to 53,472.
As per the 4th All India Handloom Census (2019-20), there are 26, 73,891 handloom weavers and 8,48,621 allied workers in the country. The weaver and the allied workers in the sector get government support in the form of insurance, training, skill development and other infrastructure assistance to boost their work besides the market linking associated with them.
As per data from the Ministry of Handloom and Handicraft, around 5,200 beneficiaries from the state have been enrolled under the National Handloom Development Programme and Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Programme.