Sops Revived for Lepakshi Employees: Minister Savitha

Vijayawada: Minister for handlooms and textiles S. Savitha announced the reinstatement of incentives for Lepakshi employees, a practice that had been halted by the previous administration citing COVID-19 pandemic.

She said traditionally, Lepakshi showrooms had offered incentives to employees to boost sales of handicraft products. She deplored that the prior government suspended these incentives over the past five years and now, under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the NDA government has decided to restore these benefits.

Minister Savitha explained that currently, there are 97 Lepakshi showrooms across various cities in the state and country and these outlets reported profits of Rs 5.50 crore up to February in 2024-25 fiscal year. She announced that to encourage employees and further increase sales, the government had sanctioned incentives totaling Rs 32.42 lakh for this period.

Minister Savitha mentioned that permanent employees will receive incentives equivalent to two-thirds of their basic salary and outsourcing staff will be granted Rs 15,000 each, while daily wage workers will receive Rs 4,000 each. The minister expressed confidence that these incentives will motivate employees to work with renewed enthusiasm, thereby boosting handicraft sales.