Project Overview
Building on the learnings from Phase 1, this project focused on the Bagalkot district of North Karnataka, a region with long-standing handloom traditions. The initiative was designed to provide gainful, continuous employment to weavers and dyers by combining working capital support, skill development, and structured market access through Desi Trust and Charaka .
Duration: Financial Years (2015–16)
Scale and Coverage
- Employment support for approximately 100 weavers and dyers
- The intervention covered handloom weaving and dyeing activities across selected clusters within the district
Objectives
- To provide a minimum and stable average monthly income to weavers across the year
- To ensure year-round employment through regular production orders
- To support weavers with working capital, including timely supply of yarn
- To strengthen market linkages through Desi Trust and Charaka
- To improve quality, consistency, and market readiness of handloom products
Approach
The project followed a phased implementation model, rooted in close field engagement:
- Initial surveys to assess living conditions, wage levels, and identify potential beneficiaries
- Focus on traditional handloom centres such as Ilkal, Rabkavi, Guledgudda, and Mahalingapur
- Engagement of designers to create market-relevant designs
- Skill upgradation and quality improvement through hands-on training
- Introduction of self-evaluation and accountability mechanisms, including weaver-certified quality marking
- Gradual transition to full-scale production with assured offtake through Charaka and Desi retail channels
Key Outcomes
- Creation of sustained livelihood opportunities for 100 weavers and dyers
- Improved access to working capital and raw materials, reducing production interruptions
- Strengthened production capacity with increased monthly fabric output
- Establishment of new market channels, including wholesale yardage and online sales
- Reinforcement of long-term relationships between weavers, Charaka, and Desi Trust beyond the project period
Significance
The Bagalkot Phase 2 project marked a shift from short-term livelihood support to a longer-term, market-linked development model, ensuring that weavers remained engaged with handloom production as a viable and dignified profession