Rajasthan govt. assures help to crisis-ridden textile industry

CM Ashok Gehlot terms measures announced by Centre ‘face-saving exercise’

Mumbai:13/12/2016: Lone worker running the powerloom in Bhivandi, also known as Manchester of Maharashtra is normal scene after demonetisation. More than 9 Lacs of powerloom is going shut-down in next few according to Mr. Abdul Siddhique, President of Powerloom association in Bhiwandi. Mr Abdul says, 'The cash crunch, esclating power bills and adding on to the woes is cheap import cotton material from China and Srilanka, are few major reasons for such mass shutdown of the powerlooms. After demonitaisation situation become worst. Powerloom owners struggle to pay daily wage labourers, salaries to workers'. Recent visit of Textile minister Smriti Irani to selected powerloom couldnt boost the morale amongst traders and workers. Workers mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Bhihar, Assam, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan are affected badly, now returning back to their home place as they could manage to survive day to day expenses. Siddiqui says, 'More than 75% business is about to closed forever. I operate my powerloom for three days in a week with only 3 to 4 workers. Siddiqui added,Powerloom owners association in Bhiwandi will decide future course of action weather to shutdown the business or to run it in short term period.


Photo By: Rajendra G 


Amid reports of slump and huge job losses in the textile industry, the Congress government in Rajasthan has reached out to the owners of textile mills and the associations of the textile sector with the promise to take steps for resolving their issues.

Textile units operating in several parts of the State are facing financial crisis and slowdown.

At a ‘direct dialogue’ with the textile industry’s representatives organised here over the weekend, senior government officers, including Chief Secretary D.B. Gupta, dwelt at length on the crisis forcing the textile units to cut down their production and assured them of steps to promote the sector.

Mr. Gupta said the State’s textile sector provided direct and indirect employment to lakhs of people and had gained world-wide recognition because of its high-quality products. “The State government has accorded the highest priority to resolve the textile sector’s grievances and support it during the crisis,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday termed the measures announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a “face-saving exercise”.

Sector-specific steps

“These steps are inadequate to bring the economy back on track. There is a need to look into problems faced by different sectors and announce measures separately to bring them out of recession, slow growth and low sales,” Mr. Gehlot said.

At the ‘direct dialogue’, representatives of textile unit associations from Pali, Balotra, Jodhpur, Bhiwadi, Bhilwara, Kishangarh and Jaipur highlighted the difficulties being faced by the mills. They demanded rationalising of power tariff, abolition of electricity duty on captive power plants and reduction in the wheeling charges on power purchased from open access.

The textile mill owners sought the State government’s help in ensuring compliance with the National Green Tribunal’s orders as well as pollution control. The industry representatives also requested for permission to utilise full electricity produced by solar power plants.

Mr. Gupta said a draft scheme for upgradation of the existing common effluent treatment plants and establishment of new CETPs for wastewater management had been formulated and would shortly be given final shape.

Rajasthan Pollution Control Board chairperson Sudarshan Sethi, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Subodh Agarwal, State Industries Commissioner K.K. Pathak and Principal Secretary, Environment & Forest, Shreya Guha were also present at the dialogue.