Paper long abstract:

Sericulture is an ancient industry in India dating back to at least second century B.C. In its long history sericulture has passed through periods of great prosperity as well as decline. Sericulture involves agriculture, art and industry; silkworm rearing is an art in the hands of rural people; reeling of the silk from the cocoons formed by the worms is an industry of different financial investments. Scientific sericulture is the meeting place for agriculture and art, art and industry, ancient culture and civilization, the rich and the poor it reflects the interdependence of these. Silk is a way of life in India. Over thousands of years, it has become an inseparable part of Indian culture and tradition. No ritual is complete without silk being used as a wear in some form or the other. It is the only one cash crop in agriculture sector that gives returns within 30 days. This industry provides employment nearly to three five million people in our country. Such an important industry is developing at a faster rate in the recent past because of the great positive response from the rural population especially.

This is a piece of research work in this field aimed

• to highlight the role of government in promoting sericulture with micro financing and

• to focus on the various ways and means to develop sericulture as a better form of livelihood support to the rural people of India.