On National Handloom Day, 7 August, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stood among weavers in the textile heartland of Chirala and released Rs.179 crore directly into the hands of 71,536 handloom families — each receiving Rs.25,000 under the newly launched Nethanna Sevalo ('In Service of the Weavers') scheme.

Rs.179 Crore Released at Chirala on Handloom Day

Chirala, a coastal cluster in Andhra Pradesh long celebrated for its fine cotton weaves and textile trade, was the deliberate choice of venue. Naidu posted on X: 'Nethanna Sevalo పథకాన్ని ప్రారంభించడం సంతోషం కలిగించింది' — 'It gave me great joy to launch the Nethanna Sevalo scheme.' The Rs.179 crore disbursement, made in the presence of weavers themselves, marks the scheme's formal rollout as a direct benefit transfer targeting some of the state's most economically vulnerable artisan households. National Handloom Day has been observed every 7 August since 2015, when the Government of India instituted the annual event to honour the legacy of the Swadeshi movement and draw attention to the handloom sector's role in rural livelihoods. Andhra Pradesh's decision to time the Nethanna Sevalo launch with this date carries both symbolic and political weight — placing the state government visibly alongside a community that has faced sustained pressure from power-loom competition.

A Portrait Woven in Thread — and the Couple Behind It

Beyond the numbers, Naidu shared a moment that stayed with him. Weaver couple Nageswara Rao and Lakshmee had woven a portrait of the Chief Minister on a loom — a technically demanding feat that transforms warp and weft into a recognisable likeness. Naidu wrote that he spoke with the couple and expressed his gratitude for their extraordinary skill. 'I cannot forget the warm gathering with the weavers,' he noted, adding that the craftsmanship left a deep impression. The gesture is a reminder of what handloom weaving actually is: not a cottage industry footnote, but a living craft tradition capable of precision that machines struggle to replicate.

Nethanna Sevalo and the Broader Weaver Welfare Push

Andhra Pradesh governments across administrations have periodically announced financial aid and cluster-development measures for handloom weavers, but direct cash transfers of this scale — Rs.25,000 per family to over 71,000 households — represent a significant commitment. The scheme's name, Nethanna Sevalo, translates loosely as 'serving the weaver,' and its rollout aligns with Chief Minister Naidu's broader welfare-distribution approach since returning to power. The next test will be implementation: whether payments reach all 71,536 enrolled families on schedule, and whether the scheme is followed by structural support — market linkages, design upgrades, export facilitation — that addresses the long-term competitiveness of Andhra's handloom clusters beyond a one-time transfer.