New textile policy by next month: Gangwar

The government will bring a new textile policy by next month and seek to build more clusters in the country, Textile Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar Monday told parliament.

Replying to a nearly four-hour debate in the Lok Sabha on The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014, Gangwar said government was keen to take the country forward in textile sector.

The house later passed the bill that seeks to replace the ordinance brought by the government in October, to help block attempts to strip nationalised textile units of real estate.

In his reply to the debate, Gangwar thanked the members for their interest in the issue and wide participation in the debate and said the government was moving forward with slogan of "development for all".

"There will be a new textile policy by next month," he said.

He said the government would hold meeting with MPs from Uttar Pradesh to sort out their issues concerning working of mills in the state.

Noting China was ahead of India in the field of textiles and there was need to move forward, Gangwar said government had taken steps to support to cotton farmers in the wake of expected good production of the crop.

The bill seeks to amend the Sick Textile Undertakings (Nationalization) Act, 1974 and the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Act, 1995 in order to continue with the lease-hold rights vested in the National Textile Corporation on completion of the lease-hold tenure.