Empowering Weavers: Andhra Pradesh's Free Electricity Initiative

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a new initiative providing free electricity to weavers starting Wednesday. The scheme offers 200 units of free power to handloom operations and 500 units to powerlooms, at an annual cost of Rs 150 crore.

Officials say the program aims to alleviate the financial load of electricity costs on weavers, while also invigorating the weaving industry in the state. This initiative is set to impact around one lakh handloom families and 11,488 powerloom units across Andhra Pradesh.

Eligible handloom weaver families could save an estimated Rs 8,640 yearly from this scheme, while powerloom operators may see yearly savings of up to Rs 21,600. This move is part of broader efforts by the NDA alliance government to support local weavers, following challenges faced under the YSRCP regime.