Handloom is much more sustainable than common views and standard government policies recognise. Instead of a linear migration out of weaving into other forms of livelihood, weaving communities show a more strategic mobility - flexibly departing from and again returning to weaving, depending on circumstances. This mobility can be traced in weavers' discourses about their vulnerabilities and aspirations.

Khadi has strayed from its objective of providing a livelihood to artisans in rural areas. For preserving the ethos of khadi, rather than just tinker with the existing system a restructuring of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission is necessary. The potential of khadi needs to be exploited for its inherent worth rather than be supported for charity.

An oligopolistic market, fluctuating market conditions, inadequate modernisation and the subordinate status of hired workers have contributed to the poor living conditions of workers in Sircilla, a powerloom centre of Andhra Pradesh. The state and central governments need to intervene in a more organised fashion to end the distress.

Driven by situational factors in the Malenad region, intellectuals at the Kavi-Kavya Trust in 1996, formed a new initiative called the "Charaka Gramodyog Unit", primarily to generate alternate reliable employment opportunities for rural women.

Everyone gets inspiration from mother. But here is a story of a young innovator who not only got inspired by his mother but also relieved the pain and suffering of all the mothers of his community. The financial condition of his society has improved a lot due to his innovation, the automatic Asu machine. It has revived the dying silk sari of Pochampalli variety. Innovation rewriting the history.

Based on fieldwork, this paper examines the problems and prospects of the handloom sector in Andhra Pradesh. One major finding is that the growth performance of cooperatives determines the growth of other institutions