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 MK Stalin said on Friday.
The museum would be set up at a cost of Rs 30 crore, he said while unveiling the programs to develop the textile sector.
Karur, Tiruppur and Kancheepuram would turn into textile export hubs. A design and incubation center would also be set up at a cost of Rs 10 crore, he said.
“Our programs and initiatives are aimed at achieving a US$1 trillion economy by 2030. The government is taking steps to soon formulate a new integrated textile policy for the country,” Stalin said while practically inaugurating the International Conference on Technical Textiles which takes place here. . The conference is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Textiles and 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 visible, the state government is setting up export hubs at Karur, Tirupur and Kancheepuram to increase textile exports from the state,” Stalin said.
In addition, an action plan was developed to modernize the sector at a cost of Rs. 29.34 million. SIPCOT has acquired land to set up a mega textile park on 1500 acres of land in Kumaralingapuram village, Virudhunagar district.
The government will shortly issue an order to increase wages by 2,500 rupees to all permanent workers in the six cooperative spinning mills, he said.
Funds have been sanctioned to provide a dedicated feeder line of 11 KW for the benefit of 3 such mills.
“I am glad that 6 memorandums of understanding were signed at the conference with American companies, the Czech Republic, Japan and domestic companies in the field of technical textile production and textile processing,” he said.
“You are aware that Tamil Nadu contributes a lot to India’s growth in terms of education, economy, health, medicine, agriculture, exports and manpower. The country attracts everyone because of its favorable climate, peaceful environment, simple procedures for starting businesses besides skilled manpower,” Stalin said.
The exchanged memorandum of understanding was on the recovery of chemicals from wastewater in joint sewage treatment, solutions for greater energy savings for pump applications in joint sewage treatment plants, reduction of water consumption in the textile processing industry and environmental pollution, production and sales activities meditech products and technical know-how and investments by the Japanese textile industry.
Apart from agriculture, the textile sector provided the most employment opportunities for people. “After the government declared the textile industry as a booming sector, there has been an increase in investment by international and domestic companies, which is very encouraging,” said Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu.
Tamil Nadu now ranks third in attracting foreign investment and also in exports, the minister added. The state is the first in the country to introduce zero-discharge liquid technology, which has also benefited the environment and the industry, Minister for Handloom and Textiles R Gandhi said, announcing that Salem Corporation’s sewage will be treated and used in the proposed units for dyeing at Salem Textile Park.
In addition, about 5 million rupees have been allocated for research and development for wastewater treatment and desalination to ensure a pollution-free environment, Gandhi said.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister TM Anbarasan said many schemes have been launched for the overall development of the industry benefiting more than 2,00,000 people. The focus is also on sectors like silk, embroidery, weaving and tailoring to help them grow. After launching three schemes in the recent past, more than 2,291 youths have received grants of Rs 90.94 crore and bank loans worth Rs 363.76 crore have been sanctioned to entrepreneurs, he said.
It is planned to reach a market size of USD 40 billion and exports of USD 10 billion by 2024-25 with a total expenditure of Rs 1,480 crore over four years under the National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM), Rajeev said Saxena, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Textiles.
“Cloud computing, machine learning and 3D printing, together with biotechnological advances, will change the way fibers, fabrics and fashion are produced. We want to capture this transformation and maintain our central position in the textile sector,” said Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, Principal Secretary, Department of Handlooms, Handlooms, Textiles and Khadi, Tamil Nadu.