In the mid terms appraisal exercise of the eleventh five year plan I am going to speak on the behalf of the weaver’s of Varanasi. I want to enlighten the scheme mentioned in the background notes prepared by the Ministry of Textile. Government has started lots of scheme like – Handloom Mark, Health Insurance Scheme and many others and even got registration under geographical indication.

Weavers are benefited with the scheme in some extent but scheme is mirage due to deliberate attempt for hiding information for continuing the corruption by elite and other corrupt stake holders. These gaps promote the corruption in implementation of the sound scheme at the grass root level and secondly they have no proper sustainable market strategy.

Mr. Siddique Hasan, Convener, Bunkar Dastakar Adhikar Manch (BDAM) shared with the mixed emotion of delight and distress, “the office of ADI handloom is not circulating the guideline of the scheme. The office is not providing any information to the Weavers & Artisan except using the Right to Information Act.” He also added “ADI Handicraft Mr. Mangala Singh always sit in the office in alcohol condition.” Artisans are not awareness of Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana and no camp is organized for making their identity card

He enlightens on the various schemes. The identified hospital in the ICICI Lombard Health Insurance Scheme is not providing the bill or information to the beneficiary weavers about the expenses in the treatment and three to four month late reimbursement of claim

Official is not providing on hand information to weavers so, Mr. Basiruddin, a weaver of Lallapura seeks information of cluster development program of Lallapura ward, Chetganj, from ADI handloom by using Right to information Act. In the wide letter no. /lñ fuñ@ gñdñ @okjkñ@2009-10 information Performa for baseline survey of cluster does not contain the address of the weavers.

In the cluster scheme weavers went for the exposure visit in the groups. Due to the people participation with the initiation of PVCHR Sarai Mohana proved to be the best cluster in the performance. The cluster has its own well furnished office. 18 weavers benefited with the housing scheme and on 1st November, 09 cheque were distributed to the 12 weavers.  But the question arises why not people participation in other cluster.

Mill Gates Price Scheme does not implicate to the small handloom weavers, according to their needs they buy silk in less amount. The Bunkar Seva Kendra doesn’t provide the silk used by the weavers of Varanasi and depot is far away from the weaver hub.

On 4th March, 09 Mr. Naresh Bahadur, Additional Secretary, Handloom and textile department, Lucknow in his letter no. )………………………………informed to Dr. Ajay Tomar, Honorable member, Vidhan Sabha, Uttar Pradesh about the relaxation of 50.00 Crore Rupees in financial year 2008 – 2009 to the power loom weavers. But the handloom weavers are drowned in the debt of the electricity bill, no proper marketing of their handloom goods. The suicide of handloom weaver in Mirzamurad reflects on their living.

The condition of Muslim weaver’s colonies is alike mentioned in the Sachhar Committee report. After several years of independence these people are marginalized from the Government welfare Scheme. Less activation of ICDS centre, no hospital, school, no proper road and due to logging of sewage and dumb of garbage every year weavers are affected with the diarrhea.

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In his nominal earning weavers are burdened for educating their children in private school and treatment by the unregistered, unqualified, doctors (Quacks). Managing all the expense weavers unable to provide nutritious diet to his family member and they are easily grasp in the communicable disease.

In the planning of the scheme Sardar are not involved. After the uprising for the wages Bawani sardar increased 30 % salary of the daily weavers. All the increment is not implemented but slowly wages are increasing.

Police Savagery Continues… 

Indiscriminate police firing on Bajardiha’s impoverished and poverty-stricken weavers exposes the minority-friendly character of the UP administration. Holi revelers trying to create Communal disturbance were left scoff-free. Adding to their woes, the hapless victims have not been given any compensation. 

Painfully, Mukhtar Ahmed, father of Moin, killed in firing laments, “In front of my eyes, bullet pierced through the chest of my son. In stantaneously, he died. Though we rushed him to janata hospital, where he was declared dead. Moin’s younger brother, Mobin adds, “As firing continued unabated, I was forced to my brother’s body to my ‘Mausa’s’ (uncle) house. After a while, police reached the possession of the body. Assurance of justice and compensation were given. But still, we haven’t got anything.” 

Sitting near by, tear-jerking from her eyes, inconsolable Moin’s mother says,” police was pressurizing for immediate burial of my son killed in the firing in presence of them, the burial place at around 5.30am.  

“Police had been forcing me to change the statement. If do not fall in line then they would implicate my son in false case. Constant threats are given to me as I have dared to take up the cudgels on behalf of the deceased and survivors,” Says Mukhtar Ahmed. 

Pushed to the corner, survivors of the police firing are languishing in penury. As Nisar Ahmed says.” I was sole bread earner for my family. Now it’s quite difficult to get a square meal a day. Police fired ruthlessly on my right arm and left arm pit. One bullet pierced through my ankles. I suffer from excruciating pain and I have no money to purchase medicines.”  

Incapacitated Abdul Rehman recounts, “Bullet pierced through my left thigh and turned me into a physical wreek. Neighbours showed their generosity and my operation was possible. Still a bone grafting needs to be done. After that I can walk on my own without being dependent on the crutches.”  

Since 2005, Holi revelers had been assiduously trying to engineer communal discord in bajardiha. These miscreants throw colours on the mosque, write filthy invectives on its wall targeting the Muslims. Police collude with the goons and kill the poor weavers.  
 
 

Demands:

Ø  Specific independent evaluation committee for the Varanasi and other part of Uttar Pradesh for the evaluation and suggestion in concrete way.

Ø  Outreach activities for the linkage of weavers and Artisian with Government scheme.

Ø  Publication of guiding manual.

Ø  Promotion for the exhibition.

Ø  Continuation of the survey for the left weavers.

Ø  Let off the electricity debt of handloom weavers.

Ø  Comprehensive & integrated welfare & food security scheme for Muslim weavers.

Ø  Special ward for weavers and Artisan in the Sir Sunder Lal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi.

Ø  Multi layer & Multi Dimensional program against hunger and malnutrition death.