BENGALURU: The weaver community is likely to play a key role in the Assembly polls in Karnataka where the BJP is trying to form the government again. The weaver community (Nekara) in Karnataka comprise around 60-65 lakh population. They come from 29 castes like Devanga, Thogataveera, Padmasali, Swakulasali, Kuruhinashetty, Pattasali, Sengundar, Hatagaara Koshti.
Asked about whom the influential community is going to vote for in Karnataka Assembly polls, the state president of the State weavers association, M D Laxmi Narayan said that this time, all the weavers will vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they are very happy with the party’s performance. “All weavers in the 224 Assembly constituencies in all the 31 districts will vote for BJP”, he said.
He said that they had asked the Chief Minister to help them with 10 demands. “Of them, the CM gave eight schemes for the weavers. Our community is happy”, he said. ” There are 10,000-15,000 voters of the community in 55 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka. In Karnataka, the weaver community comprises above 60 lakh, spread in 29 castes. I am the state president of the community for the past 10 years”, he said.
Asha Nagraj, a power loom factory owner, said, “Our work is going well, and the government is also helping us. Many weavers are associated with this work, they are getting good help from the government. The BJP government gave Nekar Samman Yojna and it is very helpful for us. The ratio of males and females in this weaving work is 50-50 per cent. The women are involved in packing and binding work”, she said.
In 2020, amidst the Covid pandemic, then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had launched Karnataka Nekar Samman Yojana. It was a relief scheme to provide financial support to the destitute weavers of the state engaged in the handloom and textile industry whose livelihood was adversely affected by the pandemic.
Raghavendra Rao, who runs a powerloom unit, said that the BJP government is giving subsidies to the community. “There are about 65 lakh weavers who are associated with this business. Earlier, it used to take one week to make a saree. Since powerlooms were introduced, the state and central governments have given subsidy to install computers”, he said.
“The earlier governments had neglected the weaving community, but now the BJP government has helped us a lot. The community has a decisive vote in about 42 to 50 Assembly constituencies. For so many years, our Nekara community has never got priority in politics,” he noted.
“We think that we should also get a place in politics so that we can be represented. We will vote for those who will do good work. Now, the BJP government is doing good work, and if the double-engine government will return to power, we will also be benefited, so we should support BJP,” he added.
Earlier in January, the Bommai government, in a bid to resolve the problems of the weavers in the state, decided to extend the Nekar Samnan scheme to the labourers working in powerlooms and cover to 1.02 lakh powerloom weavers and workers. Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai also ordered setting up of mini textile parks in 25 taluks. Under this scheme financial assistance of Rs 5,000 is remitted to the bank accounts of 1.02 lakh powerloom weavers and workers under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme. (ANI)