New Charkha-Loom Scheme

## New Charkha-Loom Scheme

The Industries & Mines Department of the Government of Gujarat runs this scheme through the Commissioner of Cottage and Rural Industries. It targets the state's traditional Khadi sector by giving registered Khadi spinners and weavers financial help to buy Amber Charkhas and looms.

The scheme's purpose is to modernise how Khadi is produced. Subsidies for equipment purchase let artisans upgrade their tools, which is expected to raise productivity, efficiency and competitiveness.

Support of this kind serves two ends: sustaining India's hand-spun and hand-woven textile heritage, and giving individual artisans the means to compete in present-day markets. It also works to protect livelihoods in Gujarat's rural and semi-urban areas.

Applications under the New Charkha-Loom Scheme are submitted offline, which keeps the process within reach for artisans throughout Gujarat.

- **Step 1: Buy the equipment:** An applicant must begin by buying a new Amber Charkha or loom from a vendor that has been approved. The equipment then stands ready for inspection and verification. - **Step 2: Collect the application form:** To obtain the prescribed form for claiming the subsidy, the applicant visits a local Khadi institution, a Cottage Industries Office, or the nearest District Industries Center (DIC). The official format is issued by the staff designated for this purpose. - **Step 3: Fill in the form and attach documents:** Every mandatory field on the application form has to be completed with care. Copies of all supporting documents — including purchase invoices for the equipment and valid proof of Khadi certification — must be enclosed. - **Step 4: Submit and obtain acknowledgement:** The completed form, signed and accompanied by all enclosures, is then handed over to the designated staff at the relevant office. A receipt or acknowledgement should be requested and kept by the applicant as evidence of submission.

Applications received under the New Charkha-Loom Scheme are reviewed by the implementing Khadi institutions or government officials, who check them against the eligibility criteria. Verification covers the documents submitted — purchase invoices and Khadi certification among them — and may extend to a physical inspection of the equipment bought, to confirm it matches the scheme specifications and is being used for active Khadi production.

Once verification is complete and eligibility approved, the subsidy amount is processed and credited directly to the beneficiary's account. The aim is to ensure that genuine beneficiaries receive support for modernising their traditional craft.