Shilpi, a research organization, conducted a study of the handloom development programme in the country. A review of the literature, including survey of a representative group of weavers, weaver cooperatives, and master weavers, was made to identify the problems of the weavers, the objectives and contents of the programme and its results. Based on the available data, the team found that barring Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, MP and UP the per loom daily net income generated by IDPs was less than the minimum wages (for agricultural workers) legislated by the states themselves. The production of master weavers was higher (per loom) than the weavers' cooperatives. The master weavers organized production and marketing more efficiently than the cooperatives. The independent weavers earned the highest income on per working day basis. The weavers covered by the Ganapradesh project were employed on an average for only 82 days in a year. Their annual incomes averaged only Rs. 595 per loom i.e. Rs. 1.63 per loom per day. Armed with these facts the research team met the handloom development officials at various levels. The dialogue that followed was quite revealing.