An Empirical Evaluation Of The Livelihood Security Of Weavers Within The Cooperative Societies In Thoubal District, Manipur

Abstract

The Manipur Apex Handloom & Handicraft Artisan’s Co-operative Society Limited is a coalition of primary co-operative societies that plays a vital role in advancing the handloom industry in the state. Handloom weaving is not only a cultural symbol but also a key aspect of socio-economic life in Manipur. Livelihood security refers to the sustainability of socio-economic, cultural, and political systems, including their limitations, vulnerabilities, marginalization, and risks. There has been limited attention given to examining the livelihood security of weavers who face numerous challenges such as credit issues, low-profit margins, increasing yarn prices, and outdated technology. The present investigation has been conducted in the light of this context. An empirical assessment has been conducted to evaluate the livelihood security of weavers under the cooperative societies residing in two municipal areas of Thoubal district i.e. Thoubal and Wangjing. The livelihood security index is composed of seven indicators: economic security, food security, habitat security, educational security, hygiene and sanitation security, and social security, and yielded the following scores: economic security scored 0.4156, food security scored 0.6052, habitat security scored 0.7166, education security scored 0.5984, hygiene and sanitation security scored 0.4102, health security scored 0.4215 and social security scored the lowest with a score of 0.1892. The Weaver’s Livelihood Security Index had an overall score of 0.4782 which is in the medium category. The study recommends the enhancement of efficiency of the underperforming primary cooperative societies, implementing a centralized network to distribute crucial information to the weavers, and establishment of a handloom institute in every town to revive the handloom sector and improve the livelihood security of the weavers.