This project was sanctioned to cover women belonging to SC/ST weaker section, female headed, households/ Antoyadaya families, and adolescent girls in order to bring them into the main stream of Handloom production. The project also aims at enabling them to earn and raise their economic and social status through shawl weaving under this project, which had a total financial outlay of 191.758 lakhs. 2279 women have already been trained under skill generation and skill upgradation in shawl weaving.

The trainees were provided with a stipend of Rs.250 per month during this six and three months training period. The training courses were organized at the Society level itself in all the 133 co-operative societies covered under the project. At present 4 training centres are still running under which 106 women are being imparted training. All the training camps are likely to be completed by December 1999.

As a follow up, the women trained under the project are being provided through the production plan of the Apex Society. Some of the co-operative societies to which these women belong are marketing these products at their own level through their own showrooms or exhibitions, etc.