As the fervour of Rongali Bihu fades and Assam returns to its economic rhythm, one cultural artefact, the Gamusa, continues to dominate the state’s policy and market discourse. Gamusa has become a contested economic symbol at the heart of Assam’s rural textile sector under the state’s flagship Swanirbhar Naari Scheme. It has transitioned from a token of cultural pride to a litmus test for the state's rural economic strategy.
Launched in July 2021 to eliminate middlemen and empower traditional weavers, especially women, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme as a “revolution in rural livelihood.” However, in the wake of Rongali Bihu 2025, the state's procurement of a Rs 100 crore war chest and a 10 lakh Gamusa target, ground realities present a much grimmer picture.
An investigation by reporter Pankhi Sarma of Business North East (BNE), backed by exclusive data from the handloom department of the state, reveals that despite high-volume procurement, over Rs 40 crore remains unpaid to weavers and entrepreneurs. What began as a transformative rural policy is increasingly being strained by financial bottlenecks, counterfeit infiltration, and market stagnation, raising concerns about whether this ambitious Swanirbhar Naari Scheme can still deliver on its promises—or becoming yet another example of well-packaged but poorly executed economic populism.
Delayed Payments and Financial Strain on Weavers and Entrepreneurs
Despite enthusiastic policy backing, the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme is grappling with systemic financial challenges. According to official records from the handloom department of Assam given to Business North East, out of total procurement payments worth Rs 3,29,01,510 due to weavers and entrepreneurs, a disproportionately large amount—Rs 4,03,34,740—remains unpaid as of March 2025. In the case of weavers, who form the backbone of the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme, 55 per cent of their dues are still pending, painting a troubling picture of delayed economic relief for the segment the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme was designed to uplift..png)
In FY2024–2025, the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme received 422 applications from entrepreneurs, of which the authorities approved 388, 24 listed pending and rejected 10 applications. Similarly, 115 trader applications were submitted, with 84 approvals, 12 pending decisions, and 19 rejections. Entrepreneurs have received only Rs 1,37,63,970 out of the Rs 2,57,88,040 earmarked for them—leaving Rs 1,20,24,070 in pending liabilities. This growing backlog threatens the financial continuity of grassroots textile producers and micro-scale rural enterprises. It not only undermines the credibility of the state's timely payment promise but also discourages new entrants into the formal handloom market ecosystem.
Procurement Trends Show Initial Boom, But Momentum Declines
The Swanirbhar Naari Scheme had seen promising growth in its early years. In FY2022-23, weavers sold 1,96,726 items worth Rs 7.58 crore. In 2023-24, the procurement surged by over 82 per cent, with 3,58,166 items valued at Rs 11.66 crore, suggesting a strong government push and higher participation. However, FY 2024-25 witnessed a reversal of this trend. Procurement fell to 2,89,196 items valued at Rs 6.18 crore—a sharp 19.3 per cent decline. The drop is attributed to poor payment clearances, uncertainty in demand, and saturation of institutional procurement channels.
While entrepreneurs procured 98,118 items worth Rs 2.10 crore in 2024-25, the payment rate remains equally problematic, adding to the cash flow challenges for first-generation textile business owners. Altogether, 9,42,206 items have been procured since the launch of the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme, amounting to Rs 27.54 crore. Yet, this has not translated into sustainable returns for the producers.
Sales Performance and Institutional Overreliance
Despite substantial procurement, the sales figures of the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme suggest that the handloom products are not reaching the desired market effectively. Spread over 1,22,282 items, only Rs 3.93 crore worth of products have been sold. Alarmingly, 76 per cent of this revenue—Rs 2.73 crore—has come from a single institutional buyer, ARTFED, based on just 4,375 items sold. In contrast, district-level sales contributed merely Rs 48.9 lakh—12 per cent of total sales, highlighting the scheme’s overdependence on state-backed marketing channels, while sales at the grassroots remain underdeveloped. The lack of aggressive private partnerships, export linkages, or robust e-commerce integration has curbed the scalability of the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme, including its impact.
Payment Issues: A Looming Financial Crisis
Delayed payments remain one of the most critical challenges. As of now, Rs 40 crore in pending payments threatens the financial stability of small weavers and entrepreneurs. The delayed payments undermine the trust and confidence of the scheme's participants, affecting their livelihoods and future engagement with the initiative.
Weaver payments, in particular, are at a critical juncture, with 55 per cent of payments still pending. While entrepreneurs have seen better financial clearance, with 53 per cent of their payments processed, the growing backlog could trigger a cascade of financial instability that hampers the scheme’s long-term viability. The financial strains posed by these delays are not just a burden on the participants; they also have a cascading effect on the entire supply chain. Payment delays can discourage weavers from procuring more products, halting the production cycle and reducing the scheme’s overall effectiveness. In the worst-case scenario, the liquidity crisis could trigger a decline in the overall participation rate in the scheme, eventually leading to its collapse.
District-Wise Performance and Regional Gaps
Kamrup (Metro) has emerged as the top-performing district, with Rs 1.22 crore worth of products procured so far. Other districts like Sonitpur, Nalbari, and Tinsukia have shown healthy participation. However, districts like Barpeta, Baksa and Bongaigaon are lagging, either due to limited awareness, poor procurement logistics, or reluctance to engage with formal government systems. The geographical imbalance indicates the need for more targeted outreach and infrastructure support in underperforming regions.
Counterfeit Threats and Informal Market Leakage
Adding to the woes is the infiltration of counterfeit products into the handloom market. Recent enforcement actions led to the seizure of 1,882 fake Fulam Gamusas, with Kamrup Metro (1110), Hojai (510), Baksa (110), and Duliajan (152) being identified as key hubs of counterfeit production on April 8, 2025. These illegal products, often sold at cheaper rates in unregulated markets, are severely undercutting the authenticity and pricing of government-backed handloom items.
Despite the state's benchmark pricing for Fulam Gamusas—ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 220 per piece depending on quality—the informal market continues to lure budget-conscious consumers, undermining formal sales. Even after Gamusa received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Government of India in December 2022, the competitive edge of authentic handloom products made under the scheme remains weakened, highlighting a persistent gap between cultural value and market dynamics.
Looking Ahead: Structural Reform and Market Strategy Required
As Rongali Bihu unfolds, the demand for handwoven textiles like the Gamusa is at its peak, making this a critical time for the Swanirbhar Naari Scheme. While it has successfully onboarded over half a million weavers and secured government-backed procurement, its long-term sustainability is threatened. With significant operational and financial challenges, pending payments, slow disbursement processes, and a widening gap between production and market demand, the scheme threatens administrative efficiency, economic viability and the trust of weavers.
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The scheme must shift from a symbolic program to a more efficient, accountable initiative to restore its credibility and meet its potential. Immediate actions include clearing outstanding dues, streamlining procurement, expanding beyond government buyers through retail and digital platforms, and enforcing anti-counterfeit measures to protect the integrity of Assamese handloom.
Expanding the scheme to include traders and entrepreneurs, alongside district-level marketing efforts, can help build a more resilient ecosystem. However, this requires effective governance and performance-driven policy. Without these adjustments, the scheme risks becoming another well-meaning but unsustainable initiative.
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