A new textile policy covering the whole gamut of issues relating to the industry and seeking to provide stability will be unveiled in a couple of months, Union Minister for Textiles K. Sambasiva Rao said here on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters after delivering the valedictory address at a seminar here, he said a meeting had been convened with senior officials of his Ministry to expedite the process. He also announced that a single window clearance division would be set up in his ministry to facilitate quick approvals for new textile units.
He said that currently, the entrepreneurs were required to seek 50 approvals from different authorities, including the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Under the proposed division, the officials from his Ministry would get the requisite clearances.
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Mr. Rao said the notification for continuation of Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) during the 12th Plan with an allocation of Rs.11, 950 crore would be issued in the next few days.
Under the scheme, interest subsidy would be provided for machinery and upgrading technology.
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He said that Rs.740 crore was released under TUFS last month and urged the industry to make use of the subsidy.
Referring to the scope for increasing cotton yield per hectare, he urged the Association of Textile Industries to take up research on that front and promised that government would provide 50 per cent funds if they came forward with the proposal.
He also announced that his Ministry would grant Rs.10 crore to the textile industry if it came out with a plan to impart training to fresh recruits in view of the acute shortage of skilled manpower.
G. Punnaiah Chowdhary, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Spinning Mills Association, urged the Textile Ministry to grant one or two textile parks to Andhra Pradesh. He said that weaving was one area that needed a big thrust in the State.
The Seminar on ‘Indian Textiles and Technical Textiles Industry: Challenges & Strategies for Competitiveness in Southern States’ was organised by FICCI.