Govt approves 21 textile parks costing Rs 2k cr

The government today said it has sanctioned setting up 21 of integrated textile industrial parks with world class infrastructure in nine states involving a total development cost of Rs 2,100 crore.

The new textile parks, to be set up under public-private-partnership, would attract an overall industry investment of over Rs 9,000 crore generating employment of four lakh workers, according to an official statement issued here.

The scheme for the integrated textiles parks would be implemented within 36 months, it said, adding the government would finance common infrastructure with a subsidy of up to Rs 40 crore for each of the textiles enclaves.

Six of these parks would come up in Maharashtra, four in Rajasthan, two each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who also holds the additional charge of the Textiles Ministry, approved the sanctioning of the parks.

He cleared the proposals as Chairman of the Project Approval Committee, which examined 55 cases in all.

"The sanction of new textiles parks would catalyse significant additional investments with industry utilising the benefits both under the scheme for integrated textiles parks and under the Technology Upgradation Funds Scheme(TUFS)," the statement said.

The government has enhanced the allocation under TUFS from Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 15,404 crore under the 11th Plan. The product mix in these parks would include apparels, hosiery, silk, processing, technical textiles, carpet and powerloom.

The government would invite bids for the lead investors heading the Special Purpose Vehicles for implementing the projects, the statement said.