PM: Extend cheap loans to hand-loom weavers

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked the Finance Minister to consider extending the scheme of low-interest loans to hand-loom weavers, which is already in existence for farmers.

At a function to launch Hand-loom Mark, Singh also asked Textile and Finance Ministers to look at the problem of debt and hoped this problem is resolved in the next three months.

He said hand-loom cooperative loan could be rescheduled or cooperatives rcapitalised similar to that done for cooperative banks. To help weavers, 230 new yarn depot would be opened in clusters with more than 1000 looms.