A gift from the Saudi Arabian king to Haj pilgrims has come as a godsend for Andhra Pradesh’s lacemakers. The Saudi Arabian king, Fahdlbn Abdel Aziz Al Seid, has decided to gift one lace cap to each Haj pilgrim, and when the Bita Inter Trade Organisation (BITO) bagged the order to manufacture the caps, it selected four AP districts to do the job.
BITO signed a Memorandum of Understanding to manufacture two crore lace caps with the Andhra Pradesh government to avoid middlemen, and it has zeroed in on West Godavari, East Godavari, Khammam and Hyderabad districts. The Rs 200-crore order will guarantee year-long employment for at least 10,000 women, said Poonam Malakondaiah, District Collector.