SRINGERI: The Textile Department’s initiative to empower the tribal woman of Kudremukh National Park area is yielding good results and the success rate is high compared to other parts of the state where similar schemes were introduced.It was two years ago that the department started three Handloom Training Centres at KNP area and training was provided to 60 women for six months with a stipend of `1,500 per month. After training, each woman was provided with a loom and a dwelling. An initial capital of `10,000 was also provided to them.The Textile Department realised that after getting all such benefits, the trained women do not show any interest in continuing the activity and hence the programme fails. But at KNP area, trained woman continued looming activities and established their own Malnad Parivarthana Handloom Co-operative Society. More than 250 tribals got membership of the society and expressed their willingness to get handloom training.More than 80 per cent of the women who were trained at Gurige and Hulgarbailu in Sringeri Taluk and Megur in Koppa taluk are earning their livelihood. The Society is purchasing thread from Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation and resells the product to the corporation.Each weaver will get Rs 15 per metre of cloth and six hours of work will earn them Rs 150 per day. When this reporter visited naxal-infested Hulgarbailu Indramma, Asha and Shambavi and others disclosed that when they were agriculture labourers they could hardly earn Rs 75 per day. “Handloom has changed our life. We are now confident of providing a better life for our children,” they said confidently.Both Saroja and Ramesh got further training at Jamakandi and now will train the next batch of women at the new centre at Nemmar and Mandagaru. Two more centres would come up at Hancinakudige and Megur along with Belagolakudige centrr where the training is on, revealed Textile Inspector Varadaraj who is district in charge of the department."We have sent a proposal to start a Sewing Training Centre here so that the readymade clothes would be prepared here and marketed at Sringeri itself," said Varadaraj. Arunkumar, president of MPHCS, revealed that all 250 members would be trained within a year, after which we will stand first in the state in production and profit. The tribal life changed positively due to this initiative and handloom centres here became a role model.
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