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Dying weavers of Tamil Nadu

The poverty of the handloom weavers in Tamil Nadu which was highlighted in this column last week continues to make news. It has now clearly become a political issue. On the one hand, the opposition led by DMK is all bent to open kanji thottis to cook gruel and serve the poor weavers in their villages, on the other, the ruling AIADMK is countering all such efforts with a free supply of Biriyani and eggs in the same places where the kanji thottis have been set up. In the bargain, the media is full of news of the quarrel between these two Dravidian parties to gain mileage out of the plight of the weavers. The Congress and the BJP as also the communists are clearly telling the people that both the DMK and the AIADMK which have been ruling the state, have done nothing to upgrade the technology of the weavers. In stead, these parties have made them almost beggars through the free dhothi and sari scheme of the government. Even when the government was procuring these materials from the weavers, the price they got was paltry. So, it was not that this scheme was responsible for giving the weavers a decent livelihood.

This week, the DMK chief and the former chief minister M Karunanidhi, announced that he himself would go to Ammairkuppam, 150 kilometres away from Chennai and not only distribute gruel to the weavers but also share it with them. This was the last thing the chief minister, Jayalalithaa could bear. She not only got the programme cancelled by sending her MLAs, ministers and party men to these places and distribute biriyani but also announced some relief measures. As per the new plan, Ms Jayalalitha inaugurated on August 6 the scheme to sell the dhothi and sari in fair price shops. That way, sari is being sold for Rs 40 each and dhothi Rs 30 each. Ms Jayalalitha bought three sets of each for Rs 210 and thus set the ball rolling. All over the state, the district collectors have been told to launch the scheme and promote the sale as well. The faithful AIADMK party workers are buying the saris and dhothis to the extent possible.

Coming as it does as part of the free distribution material, there is a genuine fear amidst the people that the quality of the material would not be good. After all, it is hard for the tax paying citizens to believe that in a democracy of our type with the standards of politicians known to us, the material given free of cost to the poor would ever be worth the salt. But, collectors are seen canvassing for the materials as good ones. But, in many cases, the materials are being sold with the request that this would help to support the poor weavers. So, it is a sale for mercy rather than merit.

The government continues to maintain that due to its acute fiscal constraints, it is unable to purchase all the dhothis and saris and help the weavers. But, some 30,000 weavers living in Virudunagar, Kanchipuram, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Nagercoil, Thiruchengode, Velur, Thiruvannamalai, Kadalur, Vizhupuram, Theni and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu are now under abject poverty. Ms Jayalalithaa had tried to please them with a dole of 20 kgs of rice free of cost. Since this would not be a permanent measure, she has started the sale of the materials through fair price shops. Already, the government is said to have in stock 25 lakh saris and 41 lakh dhothis from last year’s procurement. The Co-optex is listed to procure this year 18 lakh saris and 9 lakh dhothis worth Rs 80 crore.

The government has pointed out that the cost of a sari is Rs 92.75 which is being sold for Rs 40 at the fair price shops. Likewise, a dhothi procured at Rs 80.50 is being sold for Rs 30. This leads to a subsidy of Rs 48 crore which the government is paying for the benefit of the weavers. The plight of weavers has now become a case of Tamil Nadu being portrayed as a poverty stricken state. This is diagonally opposite to the claim Ms Jayalalitha made before her last elections that she would make Tamil Nadu the No 1 state in the country. So much so, Mr Karunanidhi is already taking a dig that Tamil Nadu has become the No 1 state for opening kanji thottis. Some political parties including the communities and the labour unions are planning to go for a statewide stir to focus attention on the plight of the weavers. It has become embarrassing for the government to see day in and out the weavers being projected as mere beggars longing for just a cup of gruel. This has come on top for the state reeling under severe drought like condition. Irrigation is totally out of question and the villages are bearing a barren look. So, with no agriculture and the handloom weavers also in severe crisis, the cash-strapped government is unable to do anything worthwhile. But, the real lesson lies in understanding that teaching people how to fish than feeding them with fish for a meal. Every crisis gives an opportunity and at least now, the government should adopt a serious policy of upgrading the handloom weavers with a matching marketing support.

- P S Sundar