The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, has revised upward the weaving charges paid to powerloom, pedal loom, and handloom weavers supplying dhotis and sarees under the state's Pongal free clothing scheme. The revision, announced on 17 October 2026, comes after sustained representations from weavers citing mounting production costs, and ahead of a distribution drive targeting 2.25 crore ration cardholders for the upcoming Pongal festival.

Revised Rates at a Glance

Under the updated schedule, powerloom weaving charges for dhotis have been raised to 14 paise per pick from the earlier 11 paise, while the rate for sarees moves to 13 paise per pick from 12.5 paise. The revised calculations are based on 68 picks per inch for dhotis and 64 picks per inch for sarees, translating to a complete weaving charge of ₹19.04 per dhoti and ₹45.76 per saree on powerlooms.

For pedal loom weavers, the government has fixed rates at 27.20 paise per pick for dhotis and 27.76 paise per pick for sarees, placing the weaving charge at ₹36.99 per dhoti and ₹97.72 per saree. Handloom weavers will also benefit: the charge for a handloom saree rises from ₹231.80 to ₹260.39, and the dhoti rate climbs from ₹96.13 to ₹107.76, according to a senior department official.

Scale of the Pongal Production Drive

The government has issued orders for powerloom production of 1.74 crore dhotis and 1.53 crore sarees, supplemented by four lakh dhotis and 24 lakh sarees through pedal looms and handlooms. A government order signed by R. Lilly, Secretary of the Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles and Khadi Department, formalised the revised charges. The state has allocated ₹300 crore as an advance towards production costs under the scheme.

Notably, the specifications for the garments have also been updated: dhotis now incorporate more intricate designs, and the prescribed dhoti length has been reduced from 3.75 metres to two metres. These production changes were taken into account while determining the new wage structure, officials said.

Weavers' Demands and the Gap That Remains

The revision follows repeated representations from weavers, particularly in Erode, who cited higher electricity tariffs, building rents, labour costs, and the rising price of spare parts as reasons for seeking an upward revision. The Tamil Nadu Weavers Associations Federation had sought 18 paise per pick for dhotis and 16 paise per pick for sarees — rates the government has not fully matched.

B. Kandavel, secretary of the Federation, acknowledged that the sanctioned rates fell short of their demands but said the increase offered 'some relief.' He described the revision — coming after the previous hike in 2024 — as a positive development for weavers engaged in the government's festival clothing programme. The increase in fabric thickness, Kandavel noted, had added to weaving requirements despite the reduction in dhoti length, making the cost pressure more acute than the length reduction alone would suggest.

Broader Context

Tamil Nadu's Pongal clothing scheme is one of the state's most visible welfare programmes, distributing free garments to crores of ration cardholders each year. This comes amid a wider pattern of input cost inflation affecting the handloom and powerloom sector across India, where electricity surcharges and raw material prices have squeezed margins for small weavers. Whether the revised rates will be sufficient to sustain weaver participation — or prompt fresh demands — is likely to depend on how production costs evolve through the festive season.