Sat Aug 02 14:04:38 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing and rewriting the provided text:
**Weavers Face Potential Livelihood Hit as Pongal Sari and Dhoti Orders Expected to Dip**
**COIMBATORE, August 2, 2025** – Tamil Nadu’s weavers, who rely on the state government’s free sari and dhoti scheme for a significant portion of their income, are facing uncertainty as orders for Pongal 2026 are projected to decrease. The scheme, which distributes free saris and dhotis through Public Distribution System outlets during the Pongal festival, supports approximately 60,000 looms across the state.
While the estimated demand for the scheme is 1.77 crore saris and 1.77 crore dhotis, weavers had only supplied 1.5 crore of each by December 2024. They currently hold a stock of 23.2 lakh saris and 19.6 lakh dhotis, with registered cooperative societies possessing an additional 8.18 lakh saris and 13.3 lakh dhotis.
A government order issued in April stipulates that weavers supply 1.46 crore saris and 1.44 crore dhotis, factoring in a carryover stock of 31.54 lakh saris and 33.12 lakh dhotis from the previous year.
Weavers in Erode express concern that the carryover stock may be even higher than officially reported, potentially leading to a further reduction in orders for Pongal 2026. “If the stock is higher, the orders for distribution for Pongal 2026 may come down. This will have a cascading effect, right from yarn suppliers to women who get temporary jobs for folding the saris and dhotis. There are nearly 2,000 women who are employed in that work,” said one weaver.
Weavers are urging the government to accurately assess the actual need for saris and dhotis and place orders accordingly. They also emphasize the importance of ensuring that the supplied goods are effectively distributed to beneficiaries. The free sari and dhoti scheme is a vital source of employment in rural weaving communities, and weavers are calling on the government to implement the scheme in a way that sustains their livelihoods.
First Piper 