The Tamil Nadu Government will study all the demands placed by the textile industry, said R. Gandhi, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles, in Coimbatore city recently.
Speaking at a meeting with the textile and apparel industry stakeholders, he said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin gives importance to the textile and apparel sector in the State despite the current financial position. Gandhi said he will consider every suggestion and demand presented by the industry. The Centre is working on a package for the exporters hit by the U.S. tariffs, he added.
Representatives of textile and apparel industry associations in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Karur, Dindigul, and Erode, who spoke at the meeting, demanded short-term financial support for exporters who were supplying to the U.S., reduction in electricity costs, measures to encourage solar energy generation, higher subsidy for modernisation of powerlooms, marine discharge of treated textile effluents, and subsidy to develop waterless textile processing machinery. They appealed to the State government to give incentives for purchase of machinery by any segment of the textile value chain.
The Minister earlier inaugurated a mini handloom park at Sirumugai. The park, housing 50 looms, was developed at ₹1.12 crore and there are plans to produce Kora and soft silk sarees and fabrics worth ₹4 crore annually at the park. Each weaver will earn ₹18,000 a month with the employment at the park, said an official press release.
The Minister also inaugurated a mini textile park at Palladam set up at ₹4.5 crore with the Tamil Nadu government providing 50 % of the cost as subsidy. The park will generate 100 jobs and nearly 28 lakh metres of fabric will be produced anually.
