Karnataka identifies 1,000 acres at Yadgir for textile park

The Karnataka government has earmarked 1,000 acres for the upcoming textiles park at Yadgir in north Karnataka. The government intends to also develop an integrated park at Yadgir, a top government official said.

“We have identified land for the textile park at the Yadgir industrial estate. Besides this, the government is also planning to develop smaller textile parks at various places such as Vijayapura, Ballari and Chamarajanagar districts,” K Ratnaprabha, additional chief secretary, government of Karnataka, said.

Speaking at the roadshow for Technotex 2015, an annual conference on technical textiles organised by the ministry of textiles and FICCI, here on Tuesday, Ratnaprabha said the government wants industries to move away from the congested Bengaluru region. The government was ready to offer incentives to industries willing to move out of Bengaluru, she said.

Ratnaprabha also added that the government intends to revise its Textile Policy and has sought views and comments from the stakeholders of textile industry. “Once we get the comments from the industry, we will revise our textile policy to make it more industry-friendly and the best in the country,” she said.

The amendment will be carried out to suit the interests and needs of the textile industry, she said.

The Karnataka government has acquired around 3,300 acres in Yadgir district, of which about 1,000 acres will be used for setting up the textiles park. The construction of the textiles park, in the most backward region of the state, is likely to improve condition of cotton growers and weavers besides generating employment for a large number of people, she added.

Speaking on the occasion, S K Panda, secretary, ministry of textiles, said the Central government has set a target of achieving a 20 per cent growth in the textile sector during the 12th Five Year Plan period as compared to 11 per cent during the 11th Plan period. To achieve this target, he said the government has come out with a scheme of integrated textile park (SITP) in the country. Till now, he said several proposals have come and by March this year, around 7-8 parks will be approved.

He also called upon the state governments to come forward and identify large area for setting up of mega textile parks. Each of these mega textile parks should have at least 2,000 acres to 5,000 acres land so that the foreign direct investment could be attracted, he said.

“Unless the state governments come forward, it is not possible to develop mega textile parks as it requires large land area. The central government is ready to secure technological assistance from countries like China, France, Switzerland among others. We will also provide the required infrastructure facilities,” Panda added.

The government is also working towards training around 1.5 million people in the textile sector during the 12th Plan period. Of this, till now only 300,000 people have been trained, he added.