Handloom weavers and lockdown in Sualkuchi Cluster of Assam

After demonetisation in 2016, followed by imposition of the goods and services tax in the subsequent year, the COVID-19 lockdown has turned out to be a final nail in the coffin for the handloom sector in Assam It has special importance in the informal economy of Assam since it is next to agriculture in creating employment opportunities An examination of the Sualkuchi weaving cluster in Assam shows the many challenges the weavers, most of them women, face © 2020 Economic and Political Weekly All rights reserved