Supply of Fabric for School Uniform for One Crore Students (Pre-Primary to Class VIII) of West Bengal – The West Bengal State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd (Tantuja)

Revamping the Powerloom Industry

Problem

• Need for standardization of uniforms for 1.17 crore students
• The issue surrounding the supply of uniforms by local traders
• Need for a system to ensure good-quality of uniforms 
• Need for a mechanism for boosting the power loom sector of the state
• The requirement to revive the state spinning mills

Solution

• Revitalizing the power loom sector by manufacturing fabric within the state
• Centralized procurement from state-based power looms with the pre-set specification of fabric
• Encouragement provided with subsidies on plant, machinery and land, etc 
• Provision of buy-back for manufactured fabric
• Reviving the spinning mill production line by ordering 900 MT of yarn for manufacturing 40 lakh meter fabric

Challenges

• Determining the quantity of fabric and setting a standardized scale for consumption

• Arranging raw materials for the production of 900-ton yarn 
• Determining specifications for  durability, cost-effectiveness, and inimitability for unauthorized purchase 
• Encouraging investors to purchase shuttleless power looms and set up machinery for processing the fabric
• Determining SOP for procurement, quality inspection and supply of fabric

Innovation

• This led to the flourishing of new-age power looms
• Better revenue for the state exchequer by generating state GST collection through indigenous manufacturing
• Generation of 1565 direct and 1820 indirect employment per month
• Moved towards state independency in terms of textile production
• The generated interest of outstate industry players to invest in manufacturing and processing units

Outcomes

• Signing up of MOU with Tantuja of 265 power loom unit owners 
• Weaved approximately 40 lakh meters of fabric by power loom units 
• Delivered around 5.09 Cr meters of fabric to the districts
• Around 3385 power loom workers and laborers have benefitted
• The increased trend in purchase of land and machinery and setting up of new-age power looms

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Case Study

Supply of Fabric for School Uniform for One Crore Students (Pre-Primary to Class VIII) of West Bengal

The School Uniform Project of Govt. of West Bengal, implemented by Tantuja, aimed at supplying uniform to the students of Pre-Primary to Class  VIII, by manufacturing the fabric within the state, with raw material also manufactured by state spinning mills, processing the fabric within state-based processing units and finally, by stitching the garment by engaging SHGs. It has created a benchmark in terms of encouraging indigenous powerloom fabric production, by integrating the entire supply chain from yarn to finished garment. With the assurance of buy-back of the product, supported by various subsidies, the project has created unprecedented scope for entrepreneurship and employment. 

Brief overview 

In an attempt to revitalize the powerloom sector of the state, in 2021, Govt. of West Bengal entrusted Dept. of MSME&T to procure 5.50 Cr meter of Polyester-Viscose fabric for stitching School Uniform for students of pre-primary to Class VIII. The Dept. of MSME&T, in turn, mandated The West Bengal State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society Ltd. (Tantuja) for distribution of PV Yarn to the Powerloom (Rapier) units, encourage setting up of powerloom units in the state, helping and guiding these units in terms of infrastructure development-for manufacturing of various PV fabric, viz, Shirting, Suiting, Salwar, Dupatta etc. Utilising the current capacity and functionality of powerlooms in the state, for the FY 2021-22, it was targeted 40 lakh (aprox) meter fabric will be manufactured.  However, with gradual augmentation and several state govt. financial schemes and aids, the entire requirement of fabric could be produced within the state in near future. The State Govt formulated a detail policy (Powerloom Incentive Scheme 2022) within the purview of which support in terms of high-speed Rapier loom purchase, land and subsidy are being provided to powerloom entrepreneurs (both existing and new) of West Bengal. This project, thus, is a pioneering effort to revamp the powerloom industry and generate employment of lakhs of people. 

At the beginning, powerloom owners in Nadia’s Santipur and Phulia, famed for making traditional cotton saris, broadened their horizons and ventured in weaving PV Suiting fabric with handholding support in terms of technical and process assistance by Tantuja. A number of such power looms owners in Santipur came forward to convert their set-ups into modernized power looms and started manufacturing suiting fabric. The cloth manufactured at these power looms were procured by Tantuja for making school uniforms by members of self-help groups. State-based spinning mills supplied PV yarn to Tantuja, who in turn distributed it to the fabric manufacturers. Gradually, similar modernized power looms were set up in Nabadwip, Murshidabad and East Burdwan. Earlier, the cloth used to be procured from outside Bengal.  It is expected that by 2024 Bengal will become self-reliant textile manufacturer by gradually developing the ecosystem.

Thus, for the first time, the state is procuring locally made suiting lengths of 40 lakh meters from districts like Nadia, Purba Bardhaman and Howrah. Tantuja has taken up a target of three years’ time to reduce dependence on outside procurement for power-textile. The department has accordingly planned to set up at least 100 industrial hubs where such modernized power looms would be set up for manufacturing powerloom fabric.

The endeavour aims to do away with dependence on outer states and generate revenue for the state exchequer. The aim is not just to curtail the cost of uniforms, but also create job opportunities in Bengal, develop infrastructure so that the state could gradually become self-reliant. Not just school uniforms, Tantuja is trying to build infrastructure and support entrepreneurs so that West Bengal can independently make uniforms for police, firefighters, healthcare personnel and others.

Challenges faced before deployment/implementation. 

1. Determining the exact quantity of fabric requirement and setting a standardized scale for fabric consumption for various age and items
2. Arranging raw material and production for 900 ton yarn for the spinning mills
3. Determining a standard specification which will be durable yet wearable by children, cost-effective for the state-exchequer, inimitable for unauthorized purchase/sale in the open market
4. Encouraging investors/entrepreneurs for purchase of shuttle-less powerlooms and commence production
5. Encouraging investors/entrepreneurs for setting up machinery for processing of state-woven fabric
6. Determining SOP for procurement, quality inspection and timely supply of a voluminous quantum of fabric

Implemented solutions

1. A detail market survey was conducted by Tantuja at the initial stage of the project to identify potential powerloom units which could be uplifted/modernized
2. To offset the ever-rising cost of cotton crop, polyester-viscose, in the ratio of 65:35 was set for the composition of fabric for various garment items. Specification was set in such ways with pre-defined GSM, count, composition, colour fastness and branded selvedge that it was inimitable for unauthorized use.
3. Fabric consumption scale was determined by conducting measurement activity on a large sample of school children to arrive at an optimum level of consumption
4. Modern machinery for spinning, weaving and processing were researched upon and entrepreneurs were encouraged to invest in infrastructure development with incentive/subsidy scheme from the government
5. Weavers and master taylors were trained to operate modern weaving/stitching machineries and measurement techniques so that yarn/fabric was not wasted

Project value, employment generation and future ahead 

• The School Uniform Project, consisting of the Fabric part only, is valued at approximately Rs. 512 Cr, in the year 2021-22
• It has attracted a potential investment in the state amounting to Rs. 128.96 Cr, in the initial year, comprising of raw material, machinery, infrastructure and logistics
• It has generated approximately1565 direct and 1820 indirect employment in local powerloom sector on monthly basis. Moreover, 3500 manpower (approx) are engaged in local spinning mills, processing units and related work
• It has revamped the powerloom sector of the state to an unprecedented level, has revived the state-based powerloom units and state cooperative spinning mills and created scope for round-the-year employment for SHGs .
• The estimated investment is approximately Rs. 278 Cr, for the next year
• The project serves as a role model for future expansion, through which it is expected that West Bengal will emerge as a self-reliant state in terms of powerloom manufactured textile

For more information, please contact:
Mr Rabindranath Roy, Managing Director at tantujasarees@gmail.com

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