Government is issuing photo identity cards to the 43 lakh handloom weavers of the country in a bid to provide them proper facilities for the development of the sector. Releasing the Third Handloom Survey report in New Delhi today, Minister of State for Textiles Ms.Panabaka Lakshmi said that all the eligible handloom weavers enumerated during the census operations will be issued identity cards so that they no longer remain faceless weavers.Calling it one of the major initiative taken by the government for the welfare of the weavers Ms.Lakshmi said that as per the third national handloom census the handloom sector is the second largest employment provider next only to agriculture. She informed that this sector with about 24 lakh handlooms provide employment to 43 lakh people. One of the most important features which emerges from the census is that more than 75 per cent handloom workers are women. The minister further added that 10 percent of the total handloom workers belong to scheduled cast, 22 per cent to scheduled tribes and more than 40 per cent to other backward classes. Ms. Lakshmi said that the latest census says that more than 85 per cent handloom household units are located in rural areas.She also issued 46 identity cards to the weavers initiating the programme.