Social Scientist

Pattern of Organization of the Handloom Industry in West Bengal: Part One

Author(s): Abanti Kundu
Source: Social Scientist, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Aug., 1980), pp. 18-32
Published by: Social Scientist
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3517139 .
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 ABAXTI WUXDU

Patterza
of Organizatio?
oftheHandloonz
Industry
in WestBengal

PARTONE

COTTAGE and smallscale industries, ofwhichhandloomweaving

is an important constituent, constitue an integraland continuing
elementin our economicstructureand framework of national
planning.This sectoris notto be wiewedin isolationand as a
staticpartof thc economy,butratheras a dynamicand efficient
decentralized sectorwhich,on the ?nc hand,is closelyintegrated
withagriculture and, on thcother,withlargescale industry.This
principlewas the basis of our plan periodpolicy formulations
hichweredesignedto bringaboutadequateimprovements in the
sectorthroughdifferent developmentschemesand programmes.
It was onlyduringthcsecondplan ehattheemployment objective
of traditionalvillagecottageindustries was fullyrecognized.
The secondplan accordeda 'nighpriority to industrializa-
tion,particularly to thedevelopment of basicarldheavyindustries,
forattaining a sizable expansion in the nalional income It was
expectedthatinvestment in basic indllstries
wouldcreatedemands
forconsumergoods,but theblockup of scarce capitalin basic
and heavyindustrieswould,at thesame time,restrictfinancial
allocationforconsumer goodspropuction.Alsosthecapitalinten-
sivc modes of productionof large scalc manufacturing would
absorb comparatively less manpower.Thcrefore, in an eXortto

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 HANDLOOM INDUSTRY 19

meetthegaps in consumer goodssupplyaxldforextending employ-

nent opportunities,Indian plannersthought of encouragingthe
traditionalcottagesectorwhichcould economizethe investment
on consumer goodsand supportmaximum labourutilization.1
Thc
Villageand SmallScale Industries Committeewas appointedby
thePlanningCommission inJune 1955to formtllate the develop-
mentprogrammes forthe sector and to evaluate the problem
connectedwith theirimplementation.9 The handloom indusry
thus receivedconsiderableattentiorlin the national and statc
development programmes.This is shourn bythe trend of plan
periodexpenditures on villageand smallindustries(Table 1).
Handloomweavinghas a longtradition of excellence and
craftsmansElip.Iwheindustry has adapteditselfto moderntimes,
characterized bya keAncompetition frommoreeffictively organi-
zed and productivemill sectorand changesin sartorialfashion
and taste. It has been well establishedthat thehandloomcloth
has a promising roleto playin the textiles
market,and given ade-
TABLE I
I REND0F ESTIMATEDPLANEXPENDITURES
(RS crores)

I Plan II Plan IIl Plan IV Plan V Plan

1 Handloomindustry I 1.1 29.7 25.37 29.21 80.63
(35.58) (16 5) (10.54) (1 1.64) (20.79)
2 Powerlooms - 2.0 1,52 3.26 I .53
( 1. I I ) (0.63J ( 1.30) ( 1.39)
3 Khadi and villageindustrics 12.5 82.4 39,33 102.66 126.38
(40.06) (45.78) (37.10) (40.90) (32.59)
4 Smallscaleindustries 5.2 44.4 86.1 2 7e.33 121.89*
(16.67) (24.67) (35.77) (28.02) (39.43)
5 Industrialestates - I 1.6 29.15 15.73 17.64
(6.44) (9.20) (6.2 7) (4.55)
6 Handicrafts 1.0 4.8 5.30 6.24 14.94
(3.20) (2.67) (2.20) (2.48) ( 3.85)
7 Silkand sericulttlre 1.3 3.1 4.39 8.39 19.23
(4. 17) (1 .72) (1 .82) (3.34) (\4.96)
8 Coir industry 0.1 2.0 1.79 4.49 5.55
(0.32) (1.1 1) (0.74) (1.79) (1 .43J
9 Ruralindustries
pro3ect _ _ 4.79 10.13
(1-99) (4.03)
10 Collectionofstatistics _ 0.57
(0.23)
Total 3 1.2 180.0 240.76 25 1.0 1 387.79

SOUItCE: Second, Third, Fourthand Fifth Five Year Plans, Government.

of India,
PlanningCommission.
NOTEg Figuresin brackets
denotepercentage
shareofthe respective
total.
* Includes centrallysponsored
schemesof the rural industriesprojectard col-
lectionof statistics.

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 SCIENTIST
SOCIAL
internal
it can servca very large account
20

protcction and support,

quate that handloomfabrics
as evidencedby the fact productionin India.3 Besides,
market
one-third
for of the total cloth svhichis explicit
products have a largeexportpotential India steadily
handloom of handloomfabricsfrom millionin
thefactthatexports
from Rs 1000
from Rs 300 millionin 1971-72to WcstBengalhand
increased exportmarketfor
The contemporary
1974-75.4 as can be inferred
has also been quitepromising to 45.2
products
loom
rising share (from 41.22percentin 1970
thestcadily
from of West Bcngal handloomproductsin
in 1976)of export
percent
exports through Calcuttaportand airport.6
total
the handloom in
cottage industry has a vitalrole to play
Above all, this According to an esti-
generation in thestateeconomy. the Ministry of
employment
by a study team appointedby
madein 1978
matc work,primary
Government of Irldia,thesectorprovidedin India and
Industry, pcople
aswellas subsidiary in nature,to 10 million
Bcngal.6
millionweaversin West
0.49 possibilitesthat
Notwithstanding the reasonsand latent in West
promotion of the handloomweavingindustry
justifythe has throughout
intcrvention foritsrehabilitation
Bengal, the state
formalities, devoidof insight
limited to mere bureaucratic in thissector.
been of economic relationships
pattern state,
intotheprevailirlg
faced by thehandloomweaversin thcmono
The variedconstraints andirregular cmployment, a
low income
general,
in include
or middlemen in thc productionand
control of mahajans and
polistic
weakinfrastructural base formarketing
distribution system, a lack of
of technological improvements,
low level a non-traditional
distribution,
among weaversand absenceof
diffusion and skill broadlyspeaking,are
base and so on, all of which, systemand
production lacuna in the production
reflections of thc inherent
structure of theindustry. madcin
organizational an attempthas been
tllis perspectivc that
It is with and pattcrnof organization
asscss the developmcnt
this paper to
industryin West Bengaland highlight
ofthe handloom wcaving
framework thereof.
thehiatusin theorganizational
ASPECTS
ORGAJVIZATIONAL
cncompasses a setof func-
of thc industry
The organlLzation
production system and rclations.Tilcseare:
tionswhichguide the ii) collection
axld distribution ofyarnand other inputs;of pre-wcav-
i) supply products; iii) arrangement
and marketing offinished iv) promot-
ancilliary to theweavcrs;
facilitics
ingand post-weaving

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 HANDLOOM INDUSTRY 2l

ing improvemcnts andinnovations in theprevailing technology,

designandskill;v) provisionoffinance.
Thesmooth functioningoftheproduction systemdepcnds
largelyon thc availability of raw materialsandotherinputs at
reasonableratesandsaleoffinished products.This requiresthc
existence
ofa copiousandwellorganized raw materialsourccas
wellas an cfflcient
distributionandmarketing infrastructurc which
can curbthepresent monopoly of mahajans. Unfortunately, itiS
thefailureofthegovernment to controlthesupply, distribution
and marketing operations and to arrangeancillary facilities
to
thewcaversthatencourages theinfiltration
of mahajans intothe
system,whoultinlatelyenjoythcfinalprofitmargin. Notwithstand-
ingthevariousefforts initiatedby thegovcrumexlt forinstituting
an efficient
infrastructural
basetodeveloporganizational control
overthehandloom weaving industryin thestate,itis themahajans
who areintheforefront witha parallelbxxt muchmoreefficicnt
organizafioIlal
system forproduction, distributionand marketing
and also forinnovationsin designs, patternsand techniques of
weaving.

Pattern
oJOwnership
On the basis of the difference in the typesofownership
we may distinguish fourmajorclasssesof a) mahajan, weaverS:7

b) master-weaver, c) ownerlindependent weaver and d) wage

worker.Both mahajans and master - weaversenjoyalmostan
equallydominating statusin the weavingcommunity, butthe
ch.lracteristic
differcncebetween thetwogroupslies in the fact
ehatthemastcr-wcavers usuallyworkthemselves ononc oftheir
loomsandengagevvage-workers on theotherlooms.Mahajans do
notnormally workon looms;theyare the supplicrs ofyarnto
theirwage-workers as wellas sellingagentsfortheixproducts on
thebasis of a wagesystem.8 lshus,in spitcoftheirnon-active
participation in production function, thc mahajans are in a
positionto assertan indirectbutoligopolistic controloverthe
entireproduction andmarke.t mechanism in the handloom sector
in WestBengaland enjoythelion'sshareofthcprofit.Detailcd
cost structureforccrtainhandloomprodllcts fromthreccore
weaving districts
ofWes-t Bengalis givenin Table II. It brings
out the profitofa mahajan,orofamaster-wcaver, fromthc first-
handtransaction oftheseproducts. The totalfromeach product,
however,multipliesandissharedbydifferent middlemen operating
invarioustiersofmarketing organization by thc timea product
rcachesthefinalconsumer.

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 TABLE II

OF DIFFZRENTHANDLOOMPRODUCTS1N SELPCTP
COST STRUCrURIS
COMPARATIVE

District Typcsof thcproducts Material Wagcincludiag Over

input chargeschar
prEaratory
3 4 5
l 2

NADIA 1 100s x 100s Tangailsari with groundde-

signsand withextraweft 22.90 33.00 1.10
2 100s X 100 coloured sair with jacquard
designson theborder 22.40 25.00 1.10
3 808 X 80s coloured sariwith acquard de-
signon theborder 18.50 14.50 1.00
4 100s X 100scolouredsariwithplainborder 20.10 13.00 1 .00
5 80s X 80scolouredsariwwithplain border 16.00 10.00 l .oo
6 60s X 605eolouredsariwithplainborder 12.60 3.80 0.60
7 60s X 60s eolouredeheeklungi 8.00 3.50 0.55
8 60s X 60sBengalJharnashirting 3 .8i 1.50 0.25
9 9 120sX 2120sfurnishingfabrie 6.30 1.75 0.40
10 2130sX 30s (two fold)suiting 4.65 I .50 0.20
11 40s x 40sJanatasariwithplain border 10.70 2 45 0.25
EIOOGHLY 12 1003 whitedobbysariwithmllga 49.50 16.25 0.40
13 100scoloureddobberysariwithbuttas 38.20 19.00 0.40
14 100scoloureddobbysariwith checks 3 4.76 15.00 0.40
15 100swhitcdobbeybordersari 33.77 14,00 0.40
16 100swhiteplain bordersari withmuga 27.50 12 00 0.25

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 1 2 3 4 5
17 lOOswhitcKathkalnakshasari 27.76 11.50 0.25
18 80s whitedobbeybordersari 10.00
22.95 0.40
19 80s coloureddobbeybordersari 25.89 10.75 0.40
20 80s white1 tt plainbordersari 17.28 8.50 0.25
21 120s 1I x 50 tt nakshadhuti 28.04 13.00 0.25
22 lOOs11 x 50 ttnakshadhuti 27.14 12.25 0.25
23 80s 11 x 50 tt nakshadhuti 18.49 8 73 0.25
MIDNAPORE 24 Firnishing fabrics
a) 40s X 32sgauge 7.55 2.10 0.10
b) 40s x 32sbandage 13.00 3.20 0.I0
c) 2117s x 4s sofacover 9.00 2.00 0.10
d) 2140sstaplex 28 sofacover 12.00
3.00 0.10
e) 2117s x 2/26sscreen 5.50 1.50 0.10
25 2180sx 60splain shirting 8.00 1.25 0.10
26 2/40sx 2140scheckshirting 6.00 1.50 O.lO
27 2130sx 20s towel 4.75 1.25 0.10
28 26s x 26s lungi 4.50 1.50 0.10

sousce: Districthandlootn
development
offices,
Nadia, Hooghly,Midnapore.

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24 SOCIAL SCIENTIST

The reportof theFact FindingComlnittce (Handloomand

Mills) 1942,describcsthediffcrcnt typesof middlemenoperating
in thehandloomindustry in India:"Thereisfirstofall,thesowcar-
weaver(oftencalledmaster-wcaver) whoemploysunderhimweav-
ersmostlyofhis own caste. Secondlythere are thc merchants,
citherof yarnor clothor both, who are keenlyinterestedin the
supplyof cloth of qualities requiredand in adequatc quantities.
Theycan indeed purchasegoodsat markets and hats,but they
considerit advantageollsto cmploylabourersto producewhat
they want.Thirdly,thercare theKarkhanadarswho bringthc
wcaverstogether intosmallfactoriesor workshops.The firsttwo
typesofcmployers leavethe weaversto workin theirown looms
and other appliances;rather,theyprefer this becausctlleycould
getworkdonc withoutincurring thecost of loomsand working
sheds. Thisis indeed analogous to the'DomesticSystenz' which
prevailcd in theEnglis}1textile
industrybeforetheIndustrialRevo-
lution"9Thisdescription, therefore,indentifies
themaster-weavers
somewhatdifferently fromthetypicalmaster-weavcr of Bengal.
As regardsthemaster-weavers, thcreportstates:"The term
master-wcavers wasusedin MedievalEuropeforthe independent
craftsmanwhoworkedin hisown homewith a ftwapprentices
learningthe tradc and possiblywitha journeymanor two who
notbeingequippedto startoffhad to workas day-labourcr. Thus
themaster-weaver was notan employer of labour,and he paid no
regularwage to theapprentices wholearnedwcavingunder him.
Suchmastcr-weavers have beenin existenccin India also,at any
ratein thebiggercentres, and in the dayssvhenthe castesystem
workedsomewhat likea guild,the master-weaver tookapprentices
fromhiscastcfor training and assistance.Butin moderrltimes,
owingto thtgrowingprospects of trade, someof thcwell-to-do
weavershavesetup as merchants, and they employtheir fellow
caste-men underthemfora wageoron otherformsof contract''.10
The onwerlindependent weaverhas his ownloom and raw
materialand thusworksindependently But usuallyhiseconomic
status is far fromsatisfactory.The Fact FindingCommittee
(Handloomand Mills) stressesthar "theoretically the economic
positionof the independent weaveris excellent.He is frceto pro-
ducewhathe waxltsand workwhenit is convenientforhim. He
worksin themidstand withthe assistanceofhis family.But all
thisdoesnothelphimin business.He has onlya limitedmarket
and whenthercis no demandforhis cloth,hc is notable to hold
backhis produceuntilpriceimproves.He oftensellshiscloth in

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 HANDLOOM INDUSTY 25

thebazaron the Gujariordirectsale basis becausehe cannot

wait,andtherefore whenheis pressed formoney he wouldcven
sellhisclothat anything abovethecostof yarn.Thus ordinarily
thcearnings oftheindependent weaver are lowand hiseconomic
condition is llnsatisfactory."ll
The wage-worker is essentially
depcndent on mahajans or
master-wcavers foreitherrawmaterial or forbothloomand raw
materialtoearn his subsistence. Among thcrage earners a few
workwiththeprimary weavers' societics,
butoftenthescsocieties
failtoprovidethemcmber withyear long employment. Whilea
wageearneris working forthcmastcr- weaveron master-weaver's
loom,thewageis forindividual labour,whereasthewage-worker
employed bythe mahajan working withhisownloomand appli-
ancesgetstheassistance from hisfamily members. In accordancc
withthe twotypes ofwagesystems, as discussedearlier(footnote
8) two typesof wage-workers, namely,"contractworker"
and "out-worker," canbc recognized; thecontract worker works
on a contract basis fora merchant orsowcar-weaver, whilcthc
out-worker weaveswiththe rawmatersal suppliedby themid-
dlemanfor a fixedpiece wage,partof whichis sometimes given
as an advance.Tabble III givesthe estimated production and
carningperloom underdifferent wagcsystems.
SpatialDistribution oJMarketing Centres
Thelocalhandloom marketsexhibit a denscrspatialconZ
centration andactas moreactivencrve centresforyarnandhand-
loom clothtrading, comparedto thc governmcnt distribution
andco]lectioncentres.On an average,90percent of businessin
handloom fabricsand yarnin lhcstatcis carriedthrough these
localmarkets. That themahajans cnjoyan absollltcauthoritative
positionin controlling the transation in sllchlocal marketing
centres is explicit
froman accountcompiled in theRctortofthc
FactFinding
Committce
(Handloom
andMills):
"In thebig hats and shandies,thebigger merchants
buy
handloom products,In suchbig shandiesand hats,the weekly
transactions
runintothousands ofrupees.Such arethebighats
ofBcngal,e. g.,theHowrahhat, theKumarkhali hat,Baburhat
andthePollachifairofMadras,Suchhatsand shandiesappear
tobe theclcaringcentrcsforclothproduced ina numberofneigh-
bouring handloom centrcs.The specialfeature
oftheHowrahhat
isthatthestallsareownedbythe paikarsor mahajansfromthe
producing centres.Veryfew wcaversvisitthishat. Thcvillagc
weavcrs disposeoftheirgoodstothelocalmahajanswho,intheir

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 TABLE III

ESTIMATEDPRODUCTIONAND EARNINCPER Loow IN A PARTICULARAREA UNDER DI

MONTH OP 25 WORKINGDAYS

Production Wage rate Productionof T4'agerate Ex,bectedaver-

overjacquard perpiece plain border perpiece age incomeof
loomper month overpit loom a zteauerover
per month jacquard loom

(J7Vo
ofpieces) (Rs) (No oJpieces) (Rs) (Rs)
Co-operative
sector:
lO0s count sari 26 7.50 216.00
9.oo
80s count sari 26 7.50 192.00
8.00
60s count sari 24 33 5.00 180.00
6.00
Master-weaver: 2-T
l00s count sari 30
7.50 6 5.50 180.00
80s count sari 28 5.00 162.00
6.75
60s count sari 24 33 4.00 150.00
5.00
Mahaian-A: 24
lO0s count sari 24 30 9.00 26 7.50 216.00 + 2pcs o
80s count sari 24 8.00 26 7 00 192.00 + 2pcs of
60s countsari 30 6.00 33 5.00 180.00 + 2pcs of
Mahajan-B: The rateis fixedwiththcweavercalculatedon thebasisofratcof
yarnand theusual wageratein the particularlocalityforparti-
cularqlialityof theclothprevailingon thcday ofagreement.
The
rateis finalfora fixedtimeperiod.

SOURCE: Report
onRegional
Seminar
onHandloam
Weavers'
Cooperativefor
Eastern
State

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 HANDLOOM INDUSTRY 27

turn,takethegoodsto theirstallsat theHowrahhat.The whole-

sale dealersand local shopkeeperswho visitthishatordinarily buy
on creditfromthepaikarsand theaccountis settledonccin three
months.Another specialfeatureis thatdhotisalld saris are gene-
rallyboughtin a grcystate fromthishat,and are subsequently
bleachedby theshopkeepers themselves."12
Thespatiallocationofthese hatsinthe heartof wcaving
clustersadds to theirsomewhatbetteraccessibilityfor weavers
whichin turnfavoursa closerlinkage betweenthemahajan and
poorerweavers. Overandabovethisthesehats, byvirtueof their
involvement in thedistribueion of yarn,procuremcnt and selling
of finishedgoods all at a time,attracta widersectionof weascrs
thando thegovernment depots whichhaveseldombeen function-
ally integratedto the extentof a local handloomhat. The
disparitybetweenthe spatial clustering pattern of lc)cal hats
and thatofgovernment yarndistribution, clothprocurementand
salesdepotsis themosttellingfeature ofthcoverwhelming mahajani
controlon the organizationalset-upoftheindustry(Tables IV
and V)
The government intervenes
in the organizational systemof
the industry throughseveralagencies.Among the government
distribution,marketing and productionagencies,the WestBengal
State Handloom Weavers'Co-operativeSocietyLimitedor the
ApexSelciety,is the oldestand the most effectively functioning

TABLE IV

LOCA]
IONOF GOVERNMENT
DISTR1BUTION
Z Collection
CENTRES
PORHANDLOOMCLOTH,1974-75

District Nameofthe Centralcloth Xarndistribution Xarndistri-

organization receiving
centre centre
+ sales bution,cloth
dYctot procurement
centrr
Nadia Apcxsociety Badridas Temple Shantipur,
Ranaghat
Street,Calcutta
Hooghly Apexsociety ,, Rajbalhat
M;dnapore Apexsociety ,, Tamluk,Jhargram
Nadia Handloomand
Powerloom - - Shantipur
Dcvelopment
Corporation
(HPDCJ
Hooghly HPDC - -
Midnapore HPDC - Radhamohni
(Tamluk)
SOURCE:
Directorate
ofHandloomand Textiles,Government
of UtcstBengal.

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 SCIE1!iTIST
SOC1AL
28

TABLE V
HArSlMARICETS
HANI)LOOM CORBDISrRICTS
INSELECTZD
OFIMPORTANT
LOCATION
Locationof Hat MarketingDay
lVistrict
Rajbalhat Daily
HOOGHLY
Magra ,,
Tribeni ,,
Serampore ,,
Chandannagore ,,
Tarakawar ,,
Arambagh ,,
I)haniakhali ,,
Begampur ,,
Chanditala ,,
Haripal ,,
Chinsura ,,
Sahaganj ,,
Chapdani ,,
Momhat ,,
Dasghara .,
Uttarpara ,,
Jansi ,,
Jangipara ,,
Banshberia ,,
Pandua Bi-weekly
Sarbhujhat(Shantipur) Daily
NADIA
(;utragarhHat Bi-weekly
NawadipHat ,,
Midnaporel:own Daily
MIDNAPORE
KbaragpurTown ,,
GhatalTown ,,
Jhargram Town ,,
Belda ,
Dadkumra Bi-weekly
ChandrakonaRoad ,,
Salboni ,,
Contai ,,
GobindaBazar ,,
Bhajachauli ,,
Satmail ,,
Egra
Paniparul ,,
Pratapdighi ,,
NazirBazar ,,
Deulihat ,,
Monglamar ,,
Mirgoda Weckly
Radhamohni ,,
Golmaguri ,,
Mahishadol ,,
Belpahari ,,
Shilda ,,
Khanika ,,
Khakurda ,,

ofWesthngal.
Government
ofHandloomand Textiles,
SOURCE: Directorate

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 HANDLOOM I NDUSTRY 29

one.l3The principalobjectivesof thcsocietyare:

a) Organizationof handloomindustryin thc state on a co-
operativebasis by arranglngproductionand salc of hand-
loomfabricson comtnerci al lincs.
b) Procurement offinishedproductsfromits membersocietics
on thebasisof60 percentyarnancl40 percentcash payment
and provision ofdyestuffsand c}lemicals.
c) Cc)nsolidation of its basc structureby enrolmentof new
memzersocletles.
* .

d) Productiondivcrsificatson and design modification in colla-

boration with Palli Sangathan Bibhag, Vissva-Bharati,
Weavers'ServiceCentreand others.
e) Provision of betterwages, amcnities and year-longemploy-
ment to societymembervscavcrsand dividendto sharc-
holders.
Thc ApexSocicty arrangesfortherctailmarketingofthe
finished productsof its member socictiesand distributionofyarn,
dyc-stu5s,or improvedapplianLes througheither its own 33
depots,l4 namedTantuja,or theselltngcounters of mcmbersocic-
tiesin different districtsFor marketingitsproducts,it also takes
partinexhihitions andindustrial fairswithinandoutsidethestate,
butthecollectionoffinishedclotll fromthe primarysocieticsis
doneonlyat itssinglecentraldepotat Calcutta,in theabsenccof
receiving centresin the districts.
It is withtheobjcctiveoforganising thehandloc)mproduc-
tionoutsidethecooperativesectorthatthestatcgovernment set
up a complementary governmcnt enterprise to the Apex Soeiety,
HandIoomand PowerloomOevelopmentCorporation (HPDC) in
1973.The corporation aimsto supplyyarnand otherinputsand
0 collectand sellfinisheci productsoutsidecooperatives,through
itsyarndistribution and servicingcentrcs,cloth receivingcentres
and salesdepotsirlthedistrict.lfi
The supervision and managealent of theintensivedevelop-
lnCIlt project and exportproductionproject,taken up by the
government duringthefifthplan,have beenentrusted to H P D C.
The intensivedevelopmcntprojectis designedto serve,in two
different parts,4000 loomsunder dormantsocieticsin Malda and
WestDinajpur<3istricts and 6000 looms under dormantsocieties
in Nadia district in a periodoffive years. The projectintendsto
a) meet thc yarn requirement of weavers,b) arrangefor thc
modernization of looms, c) organizethe trainingof weavers,
d) fulfilthc creditrequirement of weaversthroughnationalized
banks,e) arrangeforthemarketing of notless than50 percentof

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30 SOCIAL SCIENTIST

thehandloomproduction, f) orgawnize
extensionservicefortrans-
ferof a higherlevelof technology to theweavers'servicecentre,
g) maintaina raw materialbanlrwithadequate sourceof yarn,
dyes,and chemicalsand sparepartsforloomsso thata continuous
supplyofinputsto theweaversintheunit can be maintained;if
necessary, to organisea suitable dyeingunitin supportof itspro-
ductionprogramme.16
The progress of the project,howevcr,cannotbe regarded
as satisfactory;witha targetof brining2000 loomsuxlder thepro-
ject in 1977-78,it has beenablc to includeonly200looms during
thesameperiod.l7 The financialrequirement is also not totally
fulfilledbecauseoutof thetotal grantedcapital of Rs 18.5 mil-
lionsto be paid up by thecentral and state governments during
fiveyearsof itsoperation, onlyRs 11,27,000has so farbeenallot-
ted to thisproject.18
Discrsification
ofProduction
Forcreating a non-traditionaldiversificdproductionbase
withshirting,suitingand furnishing fabrics,
theexportproduction
projectwas proposedbythecentral government in thefifthplan.
It is contemplatedthattheprojectwilloperatefora periodof five
years,enrolling200 members in each yearin cach of thefiveunits
thatare to be locatedat Bankura,Bu1dwan,Midnapore,Murshi-
dabad and Birbhumdistricts.lg The entireproductionwill be
iftedby the implementing agency throughlocal depots.20For
dyeingand bleachingofhankyarnsand printing of finishedcloth
a modernunitis proposedto be inauguratedat Sukhcharin 24
Parganasunderthisproject.
In WestBengal,theAll India HandloonlFabrics Marketing
CooperativeSocietyLimited,a multi-state society,runsits busi-
nessthroughitsone sales depot (Handloom House)at Calcutta
and participatesin a partialmarketingofhandloomproductsfrom
thisstate. The other marketingagencies are government sales
emporia,likeKhandiGramodyogsale depots.RIC sales depots,
Samavaikasellingcounters.
Weavers'servicecentreat Calcuttahas been working as a
centralextension organizationfor experimental researchin weav-
ingtechniquesanddesigninnovations, distributionofnewdesigns
and improvedtechnological methods to productionunits,and pro
vision of specialized trainingto weavers,dyersand pattern
markers. A centraldesigncentreis functioningat Calcutta under
theDirectorateof Handloomand Textiles.21 Duringthe fifthplan
thegovcrnment setup an experimcntal researchcentreat Tamluk

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 HANDLOOM INDUSTRY 31

for the production of non-traditionalhandloomproducts,

mainlyfurnishing
fabrics.Mentioncan also be made ofanother
government textiletestinglaboratoryat Serampore, Hooghly-
Besides,
sixadvarlcedandI3 preliminary
weavingcentresattached
tothedistrict
handloom developmentoff*ices
in the stateimpart
regular
trainingfacilities
in weaving
anddesigntotheweavers.28
(To beconcluded)

[The authoris grateful

toJVKrishnajlandSunilMunshifortheirvaluable
suggestions
onan earlierdraft.]
ThirdFiveXearPlan,p 426. Accordingto the industrialpolicy resolutionof1956
and thesecondfiveyearplan,villageand smallindustries weresoughtto be encour-
aged in order"to createimmediateand parmanentemployment on a largescale at
relativelysmallcapitalcost, increasedemandforconsumergoods and simplepro-
ducers'goods,facilitatemobilization ofresourcesofcapitaland skill whichmight
otherwiseremain inadequately utilized and bringaboutintegrationofthedevelop
mentoftheseindustries withtheruraleconomy'.
2 This committee, knownas Karvecommittee,also recommended the promotionof
traditionalsmall enterprises and glorified, somewhat on GarFdhian lines,theself-
employment virtueofsmallindustries; Reportof theVillagcand SmallScalc Industries
Committee,Delhi,PlanningCommission, p 22.
33 N Ghosal,"RehabilitationofHandloomtndustry in West Bengal", IndustrialSitu-
ationinIndia,Vol IV, No.4, October1975,p 141.
4 lbid,pl41
5 Calculated fromthe unpublisbedfiguresfurnishedby thetl'extilesCommittee's
regionalofiice,Calcutta. Detailedfigures
showthat the amountof handloompro-
ductsexportedfromWestBengalregistered a steadygrowthfrom12.94 milliotl
metresin 1970to 22.24 millionmetres in 1976whilethe total handloomcxports
throughCalcuttaportand airportwere31.4 millionmetres and 49,20millionmetres
respectively.For the same timepoints,thecorresponding exportsofcottonhand-
loomproductsfromWestBengal were estimatedto be 4.31 millionmetresin 1970
and 10.97millionmetresin 1976.
B Rctort oftheStudy GrouttoReviewthcWorking ofthcReserucBankofIndia Scheme for
Handloom Finance,NewDelhi,Ministry ofCommerce,Government of India. 1978f
p 5.
7 Based on my fieldobservations.For furtherinformation see A K Chakravarty.
"Wage3 in Handloom Industry: West Bengal", Reporton R6gionalSeminar on
Handloom Weascrs'Cooycrative
UnionofIndia,mimeo,pp 122-124.
8 lbid,p 123-124.The authoridentifies twotypesof mahajan
systems.In thefirstcase,
themahajanliftsthe finishedproductsby payingthewage-earning weavera fixed
wageor baniperpieceofproduct.In thesecondcase, the wage-earner has to supply
a fixednumberof productsto the mahajanat a contractedratewithinan agreed
period,say threeto fivemonthts.The contractrate i5 agreedupon by the mahajan
and wage-earners on thebasisofrateofyarnand wagerateprevailing on thedayof
agreement.The rateis final forthefixedtimeperiodand hencedocsnotvarywith
fluctuationsintheyarnand wagemarket.
9 Rctort oftheFact-Finding Committcc(Handloom
andMills), 1942,p 71.
lo Ibid,p 72.
Ibid,pp 79-80.
s Ibidspl37-

18 Thc societywas registeredunder the Bengal Co-operativeSocietiesActin 1954,

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32 SOC1AL SCIENrIST
Initiallyit was under the supervisionof a management committee,but in 1973
thestate governmcnt tookit overand entrustedits managementto a boardof
administ rators.
4 The figure was upto 1978. rbbenumberof sTantujassalesdepots have progressively
increasedduringthesubsequent years.
'5 The proCurement ofclothis donebypaying60 percent of clothpriccin yarnand 40
percentin cash.
16 zntensisc DcoclopmcntProjectReport,Directorate of Handloom and Textiles,Cottage
and mall-ScaleIlldustrics Department, Government ofWcstBcngal,pp 1-2.
7 Paschtm BanaerEantShilpas1977.
18 Ibid.
19 Report onExportProductionProicst,
GoYernment ofWestBengal, 1976,p 1. The total
expenditure Qf theproJcct haYbeenfixedat Rs 40 lakhsto be paid as 75 percentloan
and 25% percentgrantby theCentralGovcrnmcnt.
2° Theproject is to be linked*Ip with some cstablishedexporthouseslike theAll
India Handloom Fabrics Marketing SocietyLimitedor theHandloomand Handi-
craftExportCorporatioxI ofIndia Limitedor axlyotherprivatetradingagencythat
wil1taketbebulkof theproduction forsale through theirown channelforcxport.
g' As a corollary to thecmphasison technological improvement in thehandloomsector,
thcstategovernment has xken up a schemcfor promotingsemi-automatic looms,
espeeially
toellhanee
theproduction ofelothupto60sby50 percent.
Witha viewtoproviding an impetus forweavingnoveldesignsas wellas varied
produets,
eashprizesare awarded totheartisans
and designersand certificates
of
meritaredistributed
onthebasisofdistrictandstste3evel
eompetitions.
2a Paschim opcit,1978.Each preliminary
BangerEantShwilpa, training
eentretrains65
weaversina yearwitba stipend
ofRs 20permonthtoeachtrainee, and advanee
trainingcentrestrain24 traineesa year withRsS0 as stipend pertrainee
per
montlz.

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