VIJAYAWADA: Education and IT Minister, Nara Lokesh, has expressed the state government's commitment to supporting handloom weavers. “The weaver community would receive robust assistance in every possible way,” he said on Sunday.
The minister laid the foundation for the new Padmasali Bhavan, a project aimed at supporting handloom weavers, at a ceremony held near Kolanukonda on the Mangalagiri-Vijayawada bypass.
The event was organised by the Padmasali International Welfare Association. The minister cited the establishment of a state-of-the-art weavers' workshop in Mangalagiri that was designed to meet international standards for the state’s handloom products.
He also mentioned the distribution of modern looms to handloom women to improve their productivity and income.
Lokesh hoped that the new Padmasali Bhavan would become a central hub for the Padmasali community, offering a platform for further development and welfare initiatives for handloom weavers across the state.
The minister enquired about the ongoing programmes of PIWA and the progress of the Padmasali Bhavan construction. He expressed his full support for the association's initiatives.
S Pulla Rao, president of the PIWA central committee, explained that the Padmasali International Welfare Association, founded 17 years ago in Vijayawada, has been actively supporting handloom families across the state through various welfare initiatives.
To date, the association has provided over Rs 3 crore in aid to underprivileged students and handloom families, helping them improve their living standards and access to education, he said.
