The proposed Bargarh Handloom Weavers’ cluster has achieved a significant milestone with the successful completion of the joint verification of cluster beneficiaries. Led by Shri Manish Kumar, the representative of the Nodal Agency (PPDC, Meerut), the verification took place on December 13th and 14th, 2023, with the collaboration of Shri Deepak Kumar Nayak from MSME-DFO Rourkela and Shri Debashis Tripathy from KIIT-TBI, the Technical Agency.
During the development of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), KIIT-TBI played a crucial role in conducting exhaustive data collection of the weavers. The coordination efforts of Shri. Gajapati Meher, a Master Weaver and National Awardee from the cluster village Jhiliminda, were instrumental in the success of the field verification program for the beneficiaries.
On the first day of verification, the officials visited Jhiliminda village in the morning and later moved to nearby villages, namely Kapabari and Rupapali, in the afternoon. The weavers, with their Aadhaar cards, pehchan cards, and bank passbooks, participated enthusiastically, verifying over 300 beneficiaries.
Continuing the momentum on the second day, the team visited three more villages – Bheden, Chichinda, and Kadobahal. A strategic halt at Jhiliminda village allowed the verification of remaining weavers who could not attend on the first day. By the end of the second day, close to 500 weavers out of the total 543 were successfully verified. The weavers, displaying high enthusiasm, invited officials to their homes, showcasing their nationally awarded masterpieces.
Impressed by the intricate Ikat designs and the dedication of the weavers, officials acknowledged the cluster’s immense potential. The collaborative efforts are expected to transform the Bargarh Handloom Weavers’ cluster into a successful and thriving handloom hub in Odisha, uplifting the income levels of the weavers.
