Amaravati, March 31 The Andhra Pradesh government will provide free electricity to weavers starting Wednesday, with 200 units for handlooms and 500 units for powerlooms, at an estimated annual cost of ₹150 crore.
According to a press release, the initiative aims to reduce the burden of power charges and encourage the weaving profession.
"Free power will be implemented statewide starting Wednesday. Handlooms will receive 200 units of electricity and powerlooms 500 units free of cost," the release said.
The scheme is expected to benefit approximately one lakh handloom families and 11,488 powerloom units.
Eligible handloom weaver families are projected to save approximately ₹8,640 per year, while powerloom operators could save up to ₹21,600 annually.
The release added that the NDA alliance government has introduced several measures to support weavers and address challenges faced during the previous YSRCP regime.
These measures include increasing the weavers' pension to ₹4,000 per month, allocating ₹5 crore as thrift funds to weavers' cooperatives, and offering subsidies of up to 90 per cent for the purchase of modern machinery.