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Arnold Thomas

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Published on: Jun 24, 2026

Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme

The Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS) is implemented by the Office of the Development Commissioner for handlooms to help the weavers to avail social security benefits. Let us have a detailed look at this scheme.

Salient Features

  • Weavers in the age group of 18 to 50 will be covered under PMJJBY and PMSBY
  • Weavers in the age group of 51to 59 who enrolled into MGBBY will be covered under Converged MGBBY.
  • Scholarship will be paid to the maximum of two children of the weavers. The children should study between 9th and 12th standard. The amount of scholarship is Rs.100 per month per child and will be paid through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP)

Components

There are two components in this scheme, and they are:

PMJJBY provides life insurance, and PMSBY provides accidental insurance for accidental death or disability. By converging all the insurance schemes into one scheme, the weavers in the age group of 18 to 50 will be covered for life, accident and disability under PMJJBY and PMSBY. The age group of 51 to 59 who were enrolled under MGBBY scheme will be covered under the Converged MGBBY scheme.

Details of the Schemes

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

  • PMJJBY insurance scheme covers life insurance for natural death and accidental death.
  • Insurance would be for one-year coverage and can be renewed for each year.
  • Weavers and workers of age group 18-50 years are eligible for the scheme
  • Rs.2 lakh will be paid on the beneficiary’s death

The annual premium for the insurance scheme will Rs.330

GOI share Rs.150
LIC’s share Rs.100
Weaver’s share Rs.80
Total Premium Rs.330
 

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

  • PMSBY life insurance scheme covers for accidental death or disability.
  • The validity of this insurance scheme is for one year and renewable every year.
  • Eligibility for handloom weavers will be of age group 18-50 years.
  • The benefits of the scheme will be Rs.2 lakh, which will be paid on beneficiary death of if disabled permanently. And Rs.1 lakh if disabled partially.

The total annual premium amount will be of Rs.12 will be carried out entirely by the Government of India.

Converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana

The Converged MGBBY is an insurance scheme that covers accidental death or disability for a closed set of people of handloom weavers in the age group 51-59 years. Handloom weavers of age group 51-59 years who are already enrolled under converged MGBBY will be eligible to get insurance cover under this scheme. Benefits of the insurance scheme are as follows:

  • Natural Death – Rs.60,000
  • Accidental Death – Rs.1, 50,000
  • Total Disability – Rs.1,50,000
  • Partial Disability – Rs.75,000

The insurance annual premium amount is Rs.470.

GOI share Rs.290
LIC’s share Rs.100
Weaver’s share Rs.80
Total Premium Rs.470

Procedure of Claim

In case of death or disability, the beneficiary has to approach the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). A separate claim form is available which is to be submitted to the Pension and Group Scheme (P&GS) unit of LIC. The total benefits under the schemes will be transferred by the LIC into their respective bank account of the beneficiary.

Scholarship

As an add-on benefit, scholarship to the maximum of two children of the beneficiary is provided under this scheme. The children should study between 9

th and 12th standard. The amount of scholarship is Rs.100 per month for each child and will be paid through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The details of students have to be registered in the NSP portal. The school and nodal agency will verify the details. LIC will release the scholarship amount through DBT once in a year. The amount will be credited to the respective bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Fund Release and Monitoring

For Converged

Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms under Ministry of Textiles will release the amount to LIC on an annual basis depending upon the number of insured weavers. For HIS coverage, Ministry of Textiles will release the state share to LIC accordingly.
Back to Learn

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Handloom Weavers Welfare Scheme: Insurance & Scholarship.

The Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme (HWCWS) is implemented by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms to provide social security benefits to handloom weavers. It includes components like health insurance, life insurance, and accident insurance.
Handloom weavers in the age group of 18 to 50 years are eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) under HWCWS. Weavers aged 51 to 59 years who were enrolled in the Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY) are covered under the Converged MGBBY scheme.
The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) provides a life insurance cover of Rs. 2 lakh in case of natural or accidental death of the insured weaver. The annual premium is Rs. 330, with the Government of India (GOI) contributing Rs. 150.
The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) provides an insurance cover of Rs. 2 lakh in case of accidental death or permanent disability, and Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability. The entire annual premium of Rs. 12 is borne by the Government of India.
The Converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY) provides insurance cover for weavers aged 51-59 years. It offers Rs. 60,000 for natural death, Rs. 1,50,000 for accidental death or total disability, and Rs. 75,000 for partial disability. The annual premium is Rs. 470, with GOI contributing Rs. 290.
In case of death or disability, the beneficiary has to approach the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and submit a claim form to the Pension and Group Scheme (P&GS) unit. The benefits will be transferred to the beneficiary's bank account by LIC.
Yes, the HWCWS provides a scholarship of Rs. 100 per month for a maximum of two children of the beneficiary weaver, studying between 9th and 12th standard. The scholarship is paid through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and credited to the beneficiary's bank account once a year.
For the insurance components (MGBBY, PMJJBY, and PMSBY), the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms releases the required funds to LIC annually based on the number of insured weavers. For the Health Insurance Scheme (HIS), the Ministry of Textiles releases the state share to LIC.
The article does not provide specific details on the enrollment process or timelines for HWCWS. However, insurance schemes like PMJJBY and PMSBY typically have annual enrollment periods, and weavers may need to enroll during those periods to be eligible for coverage.
Yes, the scholarship component of HWCWS is applicable only for children of the beneficiary weavers who are studying between 9th and 12th standard. The article does not mention any specific age restrictions beyond this.