Chapter-IV

HANDLOOMS AND POWRELOOMS OF KARNATAKA

4.1 Introduction

Karnataka can be called as ‘Mini India’ with its diverse culture,

languages and faiths. The present state of Karnataka came in to being

as a state of the Union of India on November 1st 1956 as a result of

the merger of five territories where Kannada was the language of the

people. At present Karnataka consists of 30 districts and 176 talukas

for administrative purpose.

Karnataka is located in the southern part of India, between

latitudes 11.31 and 18.45 North and the longitudes 74.12 and 78.40

East. Along its northern borders lie the states of Maharashtra and

Goa; Andhra Pradesh is to the east; Tamil Nadu and Kerala to the

south, while the Arabian sea form the western boundary.

The brief profile of Karnataka state1 is disclosed in the table 4.1

The table indicates that the Karnataka State possesses much

potential for economic development. In the 1950s the Karnataka

economy was predominantly agrarian in character. But it has changed

significantly since 1980-81. It has a strong and vibrant industrial

base built up over the years. Over the last decade, Karnataka’s biggest

success story is the growth of information technology led sector.

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Table 4.1

Profile of Karnataka State

Sl.No. Particulars Magnitude

1 Geographical Area 1,91,791 Sq.Km

2 Forest Area (Percentage) 19.3% of total area

3 Total Population 53 mn

4 Percentage of Urban Population 34%

5 Percentage of Rural Population 66%

6 Growth rate of Population 17.51%

7 Sex ratio 965

8 Percentage of Literacy 66.60%

9 Percentage cultivators to total working Population 56%

10 Percentage of net area sown 56.60%

11 Area of irrigated land 26.4 lakh hec.

12 No of enterprises 19.12 lakh

13 No of persons working in enterprises 52.53 lakh

14 Annual average growth of industrial production 6.63%

15 Per capita consumption of electricity 481 units

16 Installed capacity of electricity generation 4884.83 MW

17 Length of motorable roads 1,67,378 km

18 Rail net work 3172 Km

19 No of airports 4

20 No of sea ports 2

21 Primary sector contribution to SDP 26%

22 Secondary sector contribution to SDP 26%

23 Tertiary sector contribution to SDP 48%

24 State Domestic Production (SDP) (at 1993-94 prices) 2001-02 Rs.61,386.40 cr

25 State per capita Income (at constant prices) 2001-02 Rs.11,516

26 Ranking in human development 7th place in India

Source: Karnataka Human Development Report-2005.

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4.2 Textile Industry of Karnataka

The textile industry occupies an important position in the

industrial landscape of Karnataka by way of its contribution to

industrial production, employment generation and export earnings. It

is next only to the agriculture sector in terms of employment

generation.

The textile sector contributes 0.50% of the GDP of the state,

approximately Rs.1,00,000 crore in value. Karnataka accounts for

20% of the national garment production, valued at around 7,500 crore

and 8% of the national exports2.

While there are more than 70 large and medium firms operating

in the textile industry in Karnataka, there are more than 50,000 firms

that qualify under the micro, small and medium category in this

sector, and the largest segment under MSME (Micro Small and

Medium Enterprise) sector in the state.

As per the data made available by Annual Survey of Industries

(ASI) there are total 3.86 lakh manufacturing units engaged in Textile

and Garment Sector at the organised and unorganized level in

Karnataka. Textile units are spread all over the state, with Belagavi,

Bangalore, and Gulbarga districts having the highest concentration of

textile production units.

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Raw-material Base of Karnataka:

Karnataka has a good raw material base like Cotton, Silk and

Wool which helps the development of textile industry. Karnataka had

grown about of 9 lakh bales of Cotton (2008-09) which is an

approximate of 60% of country’s production for which the 10 districts

of the state contribute to Cotton production.

Karnataka is the largest producer of the country’s mulberry raw

silk, 8241 tones (2007-08), which is an approximate of 60% of

country’s production. Production of silk is concentrated in the six

districts of the state. Karnataka produced an approximate of 5.3

million Kgs of Wool (2004-05), which was about 11% of total

production in the country. Six districts of the state contribute to wool

production. These details explain the potentiality of textile sector in

Karnataka State3.

4.3 Handlooms of Karnataka

Handloom weaving has been in Karnataka since very ancient

times. Literary sources such as the works of Harihara, Bilhana and

other poets of the medieval period speak of a variety of fabrics

produced in Karnataka and also bear references to taxes that were

payable on yarn, looms and dyes4. Evidently, under the patronage of

the ruling monarchs and the nobility, weaving was almost always in a

flourishing state and enjoyed a position of importance next only to

agriculture.

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With the advent of the British rule, the situation changed

drastically and the weaving industry suffered on account of the

policies of the imperial government and the unfair, as also severe,

competition from mill-made fabrics. Later on the swadeshi movement

propped up the industry. Thereafter, especially after the dawn of

independence, the government at the centre and also at the state have

been providing various incentives consistently to the handloom

industry to stabilize it and regain its former glory.

The handloom industry of Karnataka is the largest cottage

industry. In terms of magnitude of employment it is next only to

agriculture. Therefore, it occupies an important place in the

development of the state by catering to the needs of economically

weaker sections of the society.

According to the second handloom census conducted in 1995-

96, the details of number of weavers and handlooms in Karnataka

state are given in the table 4.2.

Table-4.2

Handlooms in Karnataka State

(1995-96 census)

Details of

Handlooms No. of Looms

No. of

Weavers

No. of

Families

Silk 13641 23310 6573

Cotton 49384 120166 34011

Wool 13580 47458 13101

Total 76605 190934 53685

Source: Department of handlooms and Textiles Bangalore.

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DIAGRAM 4.2 (a)

These details provide us the information that in Karnataka State

53,685 families depend for their livelihood on handloom activity. The

handlooms in the state provide employment to 1,90,934 weavers. The

total number of handlooms in the state is 76,605.

Third Handloom Census:

The third census of Handlooms was conducted in April 2008 by

NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research). The major

highlights of the third census of the Handlooms with regard to

Karnataka state are-

The total number of handloom worker households is 37,680. Out of

which 33,854 households are in rural area and remaining i.e 3826

households are in urban area.

Hence the handloom activity is mainly a rural phenomenon.

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Out of total handloom worker households (37,608), 842

households belong to Scheduled Cast, 1144 households belong to

Scheduled tribes, 32,468 households belong to other backward

caste and 3226 households are others.

In Karnataka the total number of handlooms is 40,488. Out of

which 34,606 are working looms and 5,882 are idle looms.

Out of total handloom worker households (37,680), the number of

households with looms is 19,896 and the households without

looms are to the extent of 7,784.

The average size of Handloom household is 4.83. Out of total

handloom workers (1,82,065), the number of male (14 years and

above) workers is 68079 and that of females (14 years and above)

is 66,259 and the number of children (less than 14 years) is

47,727.

The average earning of Handloom worker household is Rs.24,897/-

per year.

With regard to the nature of dwelling house, 6830 Handloom

households are having kuchha house, 29,494 households are

having semi pucca house and only 1356 households are having

pucca house out of total 37,680 Handloom worker households.

Out of total handloom worker households, 57.7% (21,744

households) are having membership in Co-operative Society.

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With regard to source of loan taken by handloom households, 4.6%

from money lender, 39.8% from master weaver, 2.2% from friends

/ Relatives, 27.3% from Co-operative Societies, 19.7% from

Commercial banks, 4.1% from self Help Groups, 0.45 from traders

and 1.9% from others.

The numbers of indebted handloom households is 0.1 lakh

(25.1%).

Out of total handloom worker households (37680), 7223

households report that their children are interested in taking up

handloom as profession: 12,827 households report unwillingness

and 14,436 households report that they are uncertain and 3,194

households do not report anything.

Out of total handloom households in Karnataka the number of

handloom worker households reporting high threat from

mill/powerloom sector is 12,458. The moderate threat is reported

by 15,289 households and there are the handloom households

saying that there is no threat and the number of such households

is 5,701. At the same time some 4,242 handloom households do

not have any idea regarding threat from mill or powerloom sector to

the handloom sector.

The handloom industry is scattered throughout the state in

different districts. The details of district wise distribution of

handlooms is given in the table 4.3.

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Table-4.3

District wise Classification of Handlooms in the Karnataka State

(1995-96 Census)

Sl.No. District No. of Handlooms

1 Bangalore (U) 8352

2 Bangalore (R) 288

3 Belagavi 5099

4 Bijapur 3756

5 Bagalkot 20599

6 Bellary 2402

7 Bidar 1336

8 Chikkamagalur 218

9 Chitradurga 3425

10 Davangere 3426

11 Dharwad 891

12 Haveri 4016

13 Gadag 4012

14 D.Kannada 721

15 Udupi 721

16 Gulbarga 3525

17 Hassan 962

18 Kolar 1827

19 Kodagu 28

20 Mandya 238

21 Mysore 680

22 Chamarajnagar 684

23 Raichur 374

24 Koppal 1499

25 Shimoga 1026

26 Tumkur 6426

27 U.Kannada 74

Total 76605

Source: Department of handlooms and textiles, Bangalore.

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The table 4.3 provides the information regarding the scale of

developing handloom activity in different districts of Karnataka. The

districts like-Bagalkot, Bangalore (U), Tumkur, Belagavi, Haveri,

Gadag, Bijapur, Davangere, Chitradurga, Gulbarga have extensively

developed handloom activity.

The districts which have developed handloom activity on

moderate scale are – Bellary, Kolar, Koppal, Bidar and Shimoga.

The handloom activity is found on a very small scale in the

remaining districts.

4.4 Khadi Handlooms

It was the Swadeshi movement in 1905, which created interest

in Khadi cloth weaving. Even today Karnataka is known for khadi

handlooms. At present there are 73 cotton, 25 silk and 44 woolen and

02 polyvastar khadi societies functioning in the state. Now at present

Khadi handloom industry is developed in North Karnataka and

Hyderabad Karnataka. Karnataka Khadi is known for its quality which

has high demand both at the national and international levels.

The performance of khadi handloom industry in Karnataka is

given in the table 4.4

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Table-4.4

Khadi Handloom Industry in Karnataka

(2007-08)

Sl. No.

Items Cotton Woollen Silk Total Khadi

1 Production (Rs in lakh)

1956.25 870.44 1028.15 3854.84

2 Sales (Rs in lakh) 2085.42 815.23 941.95 3842.60

3 Employment (lakh persons)

0.14 0.16 0.01 0.31

4 Earnings (Rs in lakh)

995.05 339.97 356.98 1692.00

Source: KVIC, Annual Report.2007-08

So khadi sector also contributes considerably towards the

development of handloom industry in Karnataka. The value of total

Khadi cloth production is worth Rs.3854.84 lakhs and provides

employment to 31,000 persons and the earnings from khadi

production are Rs 1692 lakhs. Both the khadi and village Industries

Commission and Karnataka Khadi and Village Industries Boards look

after the development of khadi handlooms.

4.5 Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC)

According to the 20 point programme of central government, to

uplift the handloom weavers working outside the co-operative sector,

KHDC was established on October 2nd 1975. One of the important

features of KHDC is, it has developed ‘Intensive Handloom

Development Project’ at different places in the state. At present there

are 12 intensive Handloom Development scheme centers.

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The purposes5 of this scheme are-

1. To free the weavers from the clutches of master weavers.

2. To meet the yarn requirements of weavers

3. To improve the quality of weaving through training

4. To arrange for marketing of handloom products.

The bird’s eye view of the performance of KHDC from 2000-01 to

2009-10 is given in the table 4.5.

It is very much clear from the table 4.5 that presently, the

KHDC is taking responsibility to increase loomage under its

supervision and free the weavers from clutches of master weavers. At

present (2009-10) it has 49904 looms under its supervision which

means about 50,000 handloom weavers are depending on KHDC. The

cloth procured from the weavers is 96.98 lakh mtrs which values at

Rs.345.98 lakhs; the conversion charges paid amounts to Rs.1075.29

lakh and the supply of yarn is worth Rs.2327.02 lakhs. The KHDC

has achieved the sales turnover worth Rs.9872.35 lakh in the year

2009-10.

85

Table-4.5

Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation-ten years at a glance (2000-01 to 2009-10)

Sl. No.

Particulars 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

1 Loom Coverage (Cumulative coverage)

47549 47648 48118 44754 48359 48705 48936 49131 49568 49904

2 Cloth procurement from weavers (volume: lakh mtrs)

167.86 118.71 165.91 100.25 99.38 128.93 107.36 108.83 99.98 96.98

3 Cloth procurement value (Rs in lakhs)

4119.28 3184.16 4035.11 2610.86 2914.8 3682.13 3166.77 3250.93 3180.36 3451.98

4 Conversion charges to weavers (Rs in lakhs)

1154.68 948.29 1205.55 764.21 872.83 1107.52 915.82 944.39 968.22 1075.29

5 Yarn issues to weavers (Rs in lakhs)

2798.34 2255.15 2753.98 2709.28 2111.22 2531.27 2182.4 2247.41 2194.54 2327.02

6 Sales turnover (Rs in lakhs)

6017.77 9688.63 4989.75 8565.68 7643.44 6998.38 877.44 9481.09 8663.08 9872.35

Source: KHDC, 35th Annual Report 2009-10

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4.6 Powerlooms of Karnataka

The decentralized cottage powerloom industry occupies a

predominant place in the industrial map of Karnataka state. This is a

very important industry from the socio-economic point of view. Its

potential for generating employment and foreign exchange are

considerably large. It is a complementary activity for generating

employment.

There are no authentic records to show when powerlooms were

first introduced in Karnataka. It is difficult to get any records or

accurate statistics of powerlooms. The recent census of powerlooms

was in the year 1995-96. The details of number of weavers and

powerlooms in the state according to the 1995-96 census is given in

the table 4.6.

Table-4.6

Powerlooms in Karnataka State

(2008-09)

Details of Powerlooms

No. of Looms

No. of Weavers

No. of Families

Silk, Polyester Blends 88,566 1,27,535 30,998

Source: Department of handlooms and Textiles, Bangalore.

The table 4.6 gives us the information that in Karnataka 30,988

families are engaged in powerloom weaving. The powerlooms of the

state provide employment to 1,27,535 weavers directly and the

numbers of powerlooms is 88,566.

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The powerloom industry in the state is decentralized and

scattered throughout the state in different districts. The details of

district wise distribution of powerlooms is given in the table 4.7

The Powerlooms have been extensively developed in the districts

like- Bangalore (R), Bangalore (U), Belagavi, Bagalkot. There is

moderate development of powerlooms in the districts like- Bijapur,

Haveri and Gadag. In the remaining districts the powerloom activity is

found on a very small scale.

The powerloom industry of Karnataka is the 5th largest in the

country in terms of authorized loomage. Silk varieties predominate the

product mix that the industry produces; followed by art silk and

cotton varieties. Bangalore and doddaballapur are specialized in

production of silk sarees, where as Belagavi has concentrated on pure

polyester sarees and Bijapur district in cotton sarees.

Nearly 95% of the loomage in the state is concentrated in three

districts; viz, Bangalore, Belagavi and Bagalkot. The growth of

powerloom industry in Karnataka is not significant as compared to

other leading states in India. Another fact is that all the three districts

in the state are mainly producing sarees. These three districts were

originally handloom centers, but during mid sixties powerlooms were

introduced and since then the industry has been gradually developing.

It is more capital intensive.

88

Table-4.7

District-wise Powerlooms in Karnataka

(1995-96 census)

Sl.No. District No. of Handlooms

1 Bangalore (U) 25321

2 Bangalore 32975

3 Belagavi 14650

4 Bijapur 1750

5 Bagalkot 9918

6 Bellary 28

7 Bidar 00

8 Chikkamagalur 00

9 Chitradurga 14

10 Davangere 30

11 Dharwad 230

12 Haveri 1086

13 Gadag 1081

14 D.Kannada 04

15 Udupi 06

16 Gulbarga 34

17 Hassan 00

18 Kolar 250

19 Kodagu 06

20 Mandya 30

21 Mysore 101

22 Chamarajnagar 104

23 Raichur 89

24 Koppal 356

25 Shimoga 00

26 Tumkur 472

27 U.Kannada 31

Total 88566

Source: Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Bangalore

89

MAP-II

DISTRICT-WISE CLASSIFICATION OF HANDLOOMS AND

POWERLOOMS IN KARNATAKA (1995-96 CENSUSES)

Powerlooms Handlooms

90

4.7 Handloom and Powerloom Industry of Belagavi

District

Introduction:

Belagavi district is in the northern part of Karnataka state.

There are 10 talukas in the districts, comprising of 1255 villages and

22 towns.

Geographically the district can be divided into two regions, viz.

transitional belt along with Western Ghats and Deccan plateau. The

transitional belt along with Western Ghats is about 25 miles from

Chikodi to Khanapur in north-south direction. Khanapur, Hukkeri,

Belagavi, Chikodi talukas come under transitional belt. In Khanapur

taluka, a high percentage of area is covered by a thick monsoon forest.

The Deccan plateau comprises of Gokak, Athani, Bailahongal,

Soundatti and Ramdurg talukas, which has a topography of wide

villages, that are caused by Deccan plateau by Krishna river and her

tributaries.

Belagavi district is the fifth largest district in Karnataka state.

The geographical area of the district is 13,641 Sq.kms, accounting for

6.99% of state territory. The population of the district is 4,214,505 as

per 2001 census. The district has the literacy rate of 64.21%. The

agricultural working population amounts to 68.91%.

The newspaper reports reveal that according to 2011 census the

population of the district is 4778439. The density of population is 356

91

per sq km. The literacy level in the district is 73.94% and sex ratio is

969 females per 1000 males.

Industrial Scenario:

The Belagavi district is endowed with stock of lime stones and

other mineral resources like Bauxite, Chinaclay, fireclay, and Kanker.

It has also adequate skilled and unskilled labour and enthusiastic

entrepreneurs.

The district has very good infrastructure facilities like industrial

estates, transport and communication and finance. Department of

Industries and commerce is providing assistance for setting up,

expanding and modernizing industries and also for trade and export

promotion. The district has the privilege of having rural industrial

project and rural electricity co-operative society, which provide

assistance in developing industries in rural areas.

Despite these advantages, the industrialization has not picked

up to the level of expectations. It is because the raw materials like

hard coke, pigiron and steel are to be brought from northern parts of

the country and also partly due to power famine.

Textile based Industries:

The textile industry of Belagavi district includes handlooms,

powerlooms and spinning and weaving mills. It is one among the

seven districts of the state where handlooms and powerlooms are

92

concentrated. Presently the handloom activity is diminishing on

account of diversification to powerloom activity.

The handlooms and powerlooms are noticed throughout the

district. The taluka wise number of handlooms and powerlooms in

Belagavi district is given in the table 4.8

Table-4.8

Taluka wise Classification of Handlooms and Powerlooms in Belagavi District

(2009-10)

Sl.No. Taluka Handlooms Powerlooms

1 Belagavi 170 9828

2 Hukkeri 570 1102

3 Khanapur 00 08

4 Bailahongal 155 1453

5 Soundatti 355 204

6 Ramdurg 1185 1793

7 Gokak 125 68

8 Raibag 55 00

9 Athani 350 46

10 Chikkodi 180 927

Total 3145 15429

Source: Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Belagavi.

Table 4.8 explains that number of handlooms in Ramdurg

taluka (1185) is highest in Belagavi district, followed by Hukkeri (570)

and Soundatti (355). The talukas which are dominated by handlooms

are mostly traditional and also backward.

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In case of powerlooms the Ramdurg taluka has 1793

powerlooms, next only to Belagavi (9828). Bailahongal ranks third in

terms of number of powerlooms (1453) in the district.

The handloom and powerloom industry cannot be run without

the pre-loom and post-loom activities. Quite a large number of

persons are involved in pre and post loom activities. We have the

statistics available with regard to the workers involved in pre-loom

and post-loom activities in 10 talukas of Belagavi district. The

statistics is given in the table 4.9.

Table-4.9

Taluka wise Classification of workers engaged in pre-loom and post-loom activities in handlooms and powerlooms in Belagavi

District

Sl. No.

Taluka

Handloom workers in Pre-loom and Post

loom activities

Powerloom workers in pre-and post loom

activities

1 Belagavi 510 29484

2 Hukkeri 1710 3306

3 Khanapur 00 24

4 Bailahongal 465 4359

5 Soundatti 1065 612

6 Ramdurg 2355 6768

7 Gokak 375 204

8 Raibag 165 00

9 Athani 1050 138

10 Chikkodi 540 2781

Total 8235 47676

Source: Department of handlooms and textiles, Belagavi.

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The table 4.9 gives the details as regards the potentiality of

handloom and powerloom Industry of Belagavi district in providing

employment opportunities to the people of the district. Near about

56,000 people are engaged in pre and post loom activities together in

handloom and powerloom sector.

95

MAP-III

TALUKA-WISE CLASSIFICATION OF HANDLOOMS AND

POWERLOMMS IN BELAGAVI DISTRICT (2009-10)

Handlooms Powerlooms

96

REFERENCES

1. Government of Karnataka: ‘Development Report-2007’, pp. 639-

640.

2. Sovenir: ‘Creating Sustainable textile infrastructure in Karnataka’,

66th All India Textile Conference, January 28th, 29th 2011.

3. Mr. Edger Hartmann op. cit.

4. Gazetteer of India: ‘Karnataka State- Part-I, 1982’, pp. 897-8.

5. KHDC Project Report: 1986, pp. 34-35.