Handloom industry to be developed

S M Wijayaratne Kurunegala Daily News Corr

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has emphasized that handloom industry should be developed by leaps and bounds as it paves way for improving the economic and social standards of rural womenfolk, former Divisional Secretary, Bingiriya, W E Jayathilake said.

He was speaking at a meeting of local handloom industrialists of the Kurunegala District held at the Bingiriya Youth Training Centre recently.

The Industry and Commerce Ministry has taken steps to set up 25 handloom industrial villages covering all administrative districts to help rural womenfolk improve their economic conditions and livelihoods.

The programme is implemented under a five year development plan and at least 500 unemployed girls would be trained in the handloom industry in every district and more employment opportunities would be created in rural areas for village girls.

The aim of this programme is to develop local handloom industry islandwide and proper and scientific know-how would be imparted to the village girls who are keen on self-employed in the field of handloom industry.

Rs 160 million would be invested. in this project by the government this year and equipment and machinery would be provided to the interested women at concessionary rates to encourage them towards the handloom industry, which testifies to a history of 2500 years.

This industry had been in practice during the advent of Prince Vijaya from India and Kuveni who was ruling Sri Lanka had been weaving cloths with a handloom machine at that time.