Mangalagiri: Promising to create international branding for Mangalagiri handlooms, IT minister Nara Lokesh said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will set up a separate market intervention fund with Rs 250 crore to support weavers He said international branding with expert designers will make local cotton a big hit in overseas market.Lokesh visited weavers’ colonies in the town and interacted with handloom artisans on Saturday. He said he would take interest in appointing brand ambassadors for Mangalagiri handlooms to expand market potential. He also assured to create a green channel to clear all pending bills of APCO pertaining to work completed by local weavers.“It will be my responsibility to attend to the grievances of every weaver. It is my duty to take care of your future and welfare,” said Lokesh. He said they would provide better marketing facilities for local products by using international online marketing platforms.He said the government would grant Rs 2,000 to each weaver’s family for two months during the monsoon season as the rains would spoil their work.The government would implement comprehensive health insurance scheme for all weavers by strengthening NTR Arogya Seva scheme, he assured and further promised to provide 150 units of free power supply to each weaver’s family in the constituency.“Weavers are not workers. They are craftsmen. We will take every possible measure to bring alive ailing handloom industry,” Lokesh said.He said the government had issued a GO to waive loans of handloom societies and he would ensure it is implemented after returning to the government. He said an international level textile learning school would be set up in Mangalagiri to train next-generation weavers with latest models. “We will set up an Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) on the lines of Pragada Kotaiah IIHT of Venkatagiri,” he said.He promised to establish a model school in the weavers’ colony and a call centre to attend to weavers’ grievances. He said they would create awareness among government employees and general public to wear handlooms at least a day in a week to create additional market.

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