An economic study of handloom weavers welfare schemes in Kanyakumari district

Abstract

The Handloom Industry of India is essentially a traditional one. It is also a cottage industry in the best sense of the term, as the work is done largely in the home of the weaver himself. The loom just like the plough symbolizes the ethos of India. In fact, the handloom industry along with agriculture is the mainstay of our rural economy1. The handloom textile is unique to mill made textiles and it has a very good glorious heritage, over the years. Handloom goods are no longer the choice of the poor alone, but a favourite of the elite in India and abroad2. Next to agriculture the handloom industry accounts most of rural employment and income. It meets about a quarter of the clothing needs of the country. newline