Thiruvanathapuram: The Kerala Government has announced that the handloom school uniform distribution to school students for the next academic year will be completed before the mid-summer vacation, creating a new milestone in the project. This will ensure sustained livelihood opportunities to over 8000 weavers and allied workers of the State.

As part of the Free Handloom School Uniform Scheme, two pairs of uniform cloth will be given to students from classes 1 to 7 in government schools, and to those from classes 1 to 4 in aided schools. The first phase of the distribution will cover a total of 10 lakh children, with 42.5 lakh meters of uniform cloth being allocated. “A budget of Rs 140 crore has been set aside for the school uniform scheme for the academic year 2023-24,” according to an official.

“The Free Handloom School Uniform Scheme was introduced with the aim of promoting the traditional handloom industry and providing high-quality uniforms to school children. The project is being implemented jointly by the Department of Public Education and the Handloom Department,” added the official.

Hantex is responsible for distributing uniform cloth in districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam, while Hanveev covers districts from Thrissur to Kasargod. Currently, 6200 weavers and 1600 allied workers are involved in this initiative. 

Since its inception, a total of Rs 469 crores have been allocated for this scheme, out of which Rs 284 crores have been paid as wages to the weavers.