Telangana to distribute 1 cr free sarees for Bathukamma festival

Telangana: The Telangana government is all set to distribute one crore Bathukamma sarees from Thursday. Telangana Minister for Textiles and Handlooms K T Rama Rao in an official release on Wednesday said the State government launched the initiative in 2017 with a noble twin goal to support weavers and to present a small gift to women during Bathukamma festive season.

Compared to last year, the textiles department has come out with more designs and colours and varieties in Bathukamma sarees.

Opinions were sought from representatives of women who have come from rural areas. The support of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) designers was taken to make the sarees of best quality and design, the Minister said.

The State government has spent nearly Rs 340 crore for the project.

Minister KTR said every woman in the State who has a Food Security Card will get the Bathukamma saree.

Nearly 5.81 crore sarees were distributed from the time the project was launched in 2017 till date (including this year).

Bathukamma is a floral festival that is celebrated across the State in which flowers are stacked up and the word means ‘festival of life’ representing womanhood.