The Tamil Nadu government has initiated steps to establish a textile city in Chennai and plans to set up a handloom museum in Mahabalipuram, near here, Chief Minister M K Stalin announcd on Friday.
The museum would be set up at a cost of Rs 30 crore, he said while unveiling programmes to develop the textile sector.
Karur, Tiruppur and Kancheepuram would be converted into textile export hubs. Also, a design and incubation centre would be established at a cost of Rs 10 crore, he said.
“Our programmes and initiatives are aimed at achieving the US $ 1-trillion economy by 2030. The government is taking steps to soon formulate a new integrated textile policy for the State,” Stalin said while virtually inaugurating an international conference on technical textiles held here. The conference is being under the aegis of the Department of Textiles, government of Tamil Nadu, in partnership with Union Textile Ministry, and the CII.
“We are not only competing with different States in India but also with different countries. For Tamil Nadu to make an impact and be seen, the State government is establishing export hubs in Karur, Tirupur and Kancheepuram to increase the textile exports from the State,” Stalin said.
Next to agriculture, the textile sector provided the highest employment opportunities for people. “After the government declared the textile industry as a sunrise sector, there has been an increase in investments from the international and domestic companies, which is very encouraging,” said Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu.
Tamil Nadu is now positioned third in attracting foreign investments, and in exports too, the Minister added
The State is the first in the country to implement a zero-discharge liquid technology that has benefited the environment and industries too, Handloom and Textiles Minister R Gandhi said and announced that the sewage of Salem Corporation would be treated and used in the proposed dyeing units in Salem Textile Park.
Also, about Rs 5 crore has been allocated for R & D for treatment of effluents and salt disposal to ensure a pollution-free environment, said Gandhi.
Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) T M Anbarasan said many schemes were introduced for the overall development of the industry benefitting over 2,00,000 people. There is also a focus on sectors such as silk, embroidery, weaving, and tailoring to help them grow. Post the introduction of the three schemes in the recent past, over 2,291 youth have received grants of Rs 90.94 crores and bank loans worth Rs 363.76 crore have been sanctioned to entrepreneurs, he said.
It has been planned to achieve a market size of USD 40 billion and exports of USD 10 billion by 2024-25 with a total outlay of Rs 1,480 crore spread over four years under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), said Rajeev Saxena, joint secretary, Union Textile Ministry.
