New Delhi, July 24 -- The textiles ministry plans to overhaul the insurance component in its flagship weavers' welfare programme, Handloom Weavers' Comprehensive Welfare Scheme, after enrolment fell far short of the target, according to two people familiar with the matter. Only about 202,000 handloom weavers and workers signed up for coverage under two government insurance schemes-Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)-in the 2025-26 policy year, against a target of about 469,000, leaving more than half of intended beneficiaries uncovered. The shortfall comes even as the Centre boosted insurance funding more than fivefold to Rs.335 lakh from Rs.60.01 lakh a year ago. The ministry is now looking at ways to increase enrolment, expand coverage and tighten implementation through state governments as part of a broader review of the Handloom Weavers' Comprehensive Welfare Scheme, the people said. The relatively low insurance coverage is primarily due to the fragmented and largely unorganised nature of the handloom sector. A significant number of weavers operate outside formal institutional networks, making it difficult for state governments to identify and enrol all eligible beneficiaries. "The dependence on states for beneficiary identification and enrolment, coupled with limited awareness and annual renewals under the insurance schemes, has affected participation," one of the people said. Queries emailed to the textiles ministry remained unanswered till press time. Industry experts attributed the low enrolment primarily to limited awareness among handloom weavers about the insurance schemes and their benefits....