In yet another instance of Indian ingenuity, the new generation of sari weavers in Benares are using condoms to help them produce more saris, faster:

The weaver rubs the condom on the loom’s shuttle, which is softened by the lubricant thus making the process of weaving faster. The lubricant does not leave any stain on the silk thread which might soil the valuable saris. There are around 150,000 to 200,000 hand and power looms in Varanasi alone and almost all are using the technique. And every loom has a daily consumption of three or four condoms.

(analysis follows, below the fold)These condoms are subsidized family planning prophylactics. First the weavers got them free from the government, now (because the government cottoned on to their slick scheme) corrupt officials are selling them under the table. Why condoms? Because I doubt they subsidize lube, and it’s really expensive if the US is any measure.

An economist would point out that this is what inevitably happens with subsidies, since goods can always be used for multiple purposes, especially if their costs are low enough. However, an economist would also acknowledge that STDs and childbirth are huge externalities, the cost of which will be born by the government. Since you can’t subsidize safe sex directly, this is the next best thing. (Imagine an uncle or auntie waiting outside your bedroom door with some rupees in their hand saying “Very good beta, we’re glad you had safe sex“) Quite frankly, this seems like a minor distortion, a drop in the bucket given the number of condoms in India. This still seems like a clear win from a cost-benefit perspective.

What I’d really like to know, however, is whether the rate of STDs among the weavers of Benares has gone down or not? I can just imagine that young weavers (and this is a generational thing) are pocketing a few of the unopened condoms and are using them in the brothels of Benares.

Other uses for condoms include:

• Villagers use them to carry water when working in fields
• For waterproofing ceilings: condoms are spread under the cement-concrete mortar
• Can be mixed with tar and concrete to give a smooth finish to roads
• Can be placed over the ends of guns to protect them in desert sandstorms
• Drugs ‘mules’ swallow condoms filled with drugs to smuggle them across borders

[All of these are taken from the same article]