Citing the rising cost of production and stiff competition, city-based garment exporters have demanded intervention from the State Government to bail them out of the situation. A delegation of Knitwear and Apparel Exporters Organization met Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and apprised him of their problems. A memorandum too has been sent by the association to the Chief Minister. Harish Dua, President of the association said, “Ludhiana needs a big international class textile cluster with availability of all essential services. An MSME unit cannot afford all kinds of machines and services like embroidery, printing, knitting, dyeing, and electronic computerized cutting. Therefore, it will be in the best interest of exporters and manufacturers of garments that a cluster be made in Ludhiana, where all these facilities — along with the latest state-of-the-art machinery is made available at a subsidized cost to members of the cluster. We request the Chief Minister to ensure quick clearance of our cluster, and take up the issue with the Central Government for its immediate approval.”
According to Narinder Chugh, Executive Council Member of Apparel Export Promotion Council: “World over the garment industry is mostly run by women’s workforce, and that too in an efficient way, as they have a natural talent for stitching. To train and mobilize women’s workforce in the State, especially in Ludhiana, is the need of the hour. Therefore, the Punjab government — which is already taking several steps to improve business environment in the State — should also start initiatives to set-up hostels for working women. The State Government can also think of offering land free of cost for this purpose, and hostels should be constructed with aid from the Central Government at the earliest.”
