Fernandes asks Centre to bail out North Karnataka weavers

Former defence minister George Fernandes has urged the Centre and state governments to bail out weavers who are facing a crisis. George Fernandes met Karnataka governor T N Chaturvedi in Dharwad while the latter was here. He submitted a memorandum seeking direction to the government to provide social security to weavers.

Later, speaking to reporters, Fernandes said that weavers from Karnataka, especially those from North Karnataka had been hit hard due to a lack of basic amenities.

The number of weavers in Karnataka was next only to that of farmers. Six weavers had ended their life in Karnataka in the last one month, he pointed out. He urged the governments to provide a social security system to the hapless weavers.

Fernandes said that the weavers in Karnataka were being charged Rs 4.48 per unit of power while in other states, weavers were getting power at just Re 1 per unit. He demanded the waiver of interest on weavers' loans and supply of power at Re 1 per unit. The governor promised Fernandes that he would direct the state government to look into the matter and do the needful.

Meanwhile, a delegation of weavers from Belgaum district met the governor and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention in securing help for weavers. They urged the government to honour the commitment it made to the weavers at the meeting of North Karnataka weavers convened at Bangalore in August.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation chairman L R Ananth denied the charges made by George Fernandes and said that the UPA government had sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the benefit of weavers.