SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, PRODUCTION CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF POWER-LOOM WEAVERS: A CASE STUDY OF PATWATOLI, GAYA, BIHAR

Patwatoli in Manpur block of Gaya district, Bihar, is a distinctive textile settlement whose economic identity has been shaped by hereditary weaving and household-based production. This study examines the socio-economic transformation of the locality from handloom to predominantly power-loom production and analyses the production, market, institutional and sustainability constraints faced by weavers. The paper is based on the evidence contained in the supplied research document, including district gazetteers, policy documents, academic literature, field-based accounts and local observations. Because the available evidence does not constitute a complete census or an econometric survey, the quantitative component is presented as descriptive statistical analysis of reported indicators rather than as population estimates or causal inference. The most striking structural indicator is the reported decline in functional handlooms from about 1,200 roughly a decade ago to only 70–80 today, while power looms have increased to approximately 1,500. Using the midpoint of the reported current handloom range, the implied decline is about 93.75%, with the range indicating a decline of approximately 93.3-94.2%.