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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF TEXTILES
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3352
ANSWERED ON- 20/03/2026
ENUMERATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY COVERAGE OF WOMEN ENGAGED IN
HOME-BASED TEXTILE WORK
3352. MS. SWATI MALIWAL:
Will the Minister of TEXTILES be pleased to state:
(a) whether any survey has been conducted in the last five years to enumerate women engaged in home-based,
piece-rate textile work, if so, the State-wise number identified;
(b) the number of such workers covered under statutory protections including minimum wages, provident fund
and ESI benefits and if data is not maintained, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether Government has assessed occupational health risks, including respiratory illnesses, in recycled
textile clusters and the support or compensation provided; and
(d) whether a time-bound framework is proposed to extend formal social security and labour protections to
home-based textile workers?
ANSW ER
THE MINISTER OF TEXTILES
(SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)
(a): Government is conducting various censuses and surveys for various sectors including textiles like
Fourth All India Handloom Census, 2019-20, annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Annual Survey of
Unincorporated Sector Enterprises etc. which provide estimate on various socio-economic indicators. As per
PLFS, female Labour Force Participation Rate is 31.7%, State/UT wise data attached at Annexure-I. The
specific survey to enumerate women engaged in home-based and piece-rate textile work has not been
conducted separately by the Ministry of Textiles.
(b): The Chapter IV of the Code of Social Security, 2020 (ESIC) apply on every establishment in which
ten or more persons are employed other than a seasonal factory which provides coverage on ESI benefits.
Further, the Ministry has taken a comprehensive approach—combining industrial development, cluster
strengthening, skill upgrading, etc. to support textiles & traditional sector which includes improvement in
women’s participation and productivity. The focus has been on quality employment, welfare, and market-
linked empowerment –
1. PM MITRA - The mega textile parks are designed to support high female participation in apparel and
home textile units by developing creches, women’s hostels, skill centres, safe transport, CCTV, security and
modern OHS facilities. It will create lakhs of new, safe formal-sector jobs for women
2. Samarth - Women form the majority of beneficiaries in SAMARTH skill programmes—especially in
garmenting, embroidery, knitwear, handicrafts, etc. Under Samarth scheme, 5.3 lakh beneficiaries have been
successfully trained of which 88% beneficiaries are women.3. Handloom Sector- Flagship scheme for Raw material supply to Handloom weavers (includes women
Handloom weavers); RMSS provides Transport subsidy (all types of yarns), 15% Price Subsidy and depot
operating expenses. Further, eligible beneficiaries cover women handloom weavers by including individual
weavers, Agencies in which weavers are members i.e. Self Help Groups (SHGs), Joint Liability Groups
(JLGs) and Cooperative Societies, Handloom Producer Company, Weavers Entrepreneurs. Additionally, some
of the special provisions provided are -
i. In partnership with Ministry of Textiles & Office of DC Handlooms, UN Women launched
#Srijan, a series of workshops to nurture leadership & entrepreneurship among women artisans,
set to reach 1,000 women weavers across India within a year, 1st workshop held at Varanasi on
18.10.2025
ii. Women weavers receive 100% subsidy for construction of work sheds under National
Handloom Development Programme. More than 73% beneficiaries under Small Cluster
Development Programme are women.
iii. Handloom Weaver MUDRA Portal developed with Punjab National Bank for centralized
online claim disbursement, cutting down delays in financial assistance for margin money,
interest subvention, and credit guarantee fee
iv. Women Day slot at Dilli Haat (1st-15th March 2026) and Panch Lakhiya weaver didi slot
(16th-31st August 2025) organised.
v. 30 women-led Producer Companies and 15 women-led startups across the country.
vi. Kamladevi Chattopadhyay Award instituted since 2016 specifically for women weavers, with
14 awards conferred so far.
4. Silk Sector -The sericulture industry provides employment to approximately 97.3 lakh persons, with 55-
60% being women. Central Silk Board has developed women-friendly innovations to reduce drudgery and
improve productivity viz., Automatic/motorised reeling and spinning machines with women-friendly
operations, financial assistance under central schemes and promotion of women SHGs etc.
(c) & (d): A formal framework to extend protections was initiated with the nationwide implementation of
the Four Labour Codes. New Labour Codes aim to enhance welfare, maternity benefits, working hours,
occupational safety and participation of women workers across sector including textile sector, where women
form a substantial share of the workforce. Further, as per section 45 of the Code Social Security, 2020, the
provision has also been made to extend benefits under the chapter IV of the ESIC to unorganized workers, gig
workers and platform workers.Annexure-I
State/UT-wise female Labour Force Participation Rate, 2023-24 (in percent)
SL State/UT Female LFPR(%)
1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 38.0
2 Andhra Pradesh 35.8
3 Arunachal Pradesh 49.9
4 Assam 36.8
5 Bihar 20.3
6 Chandigarh 25.0
7 Chhattisgarh 46.1
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu 34.7
9 Delhi 14.5
10 Goa 22.9
11 Gujarat 35.8
12 Haryana 18.8
13 Himachal Pradesh 56.2
14 Jammu & Kashmir 38.8
15 Jharkhand 35.8
16 Karnataka 30.5
17 Kerala 33.4
18 Ladakh 43.7
19 Lakshadweep 13.0
20 Madhya Pradesh 39.4
21 Maharashtra 32.0
22 Manipur 36.3
23 Meghalaya 47.1
24 Mizoram 30.4
25 Nagaland 42.7
26 Odisha 38.0
27 Puducherry 28.9
28 Punjab 24.4
29 Rajasthan 38.0
30 Sikkim 56.9
31 Tamil Nadu 35.2
32 Telangana 36.5
33 Tripura 36.8
34 Uttarakhand 35.9
35 Uttar Pradesh 25.2
36 West Bengal 31.7
All India 31.7
Source: PLFS, MoSPI
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