TEXTILE MINISTRY FAVOURS HIKE IN SUBSIDY
TO MODERN LOOMS UNDER TUFS
PARLIAMENTARY
CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE OF TEXTILE MINISTRY MEETS
A proposal to increase
the subsidy for modern looms to 20 percent is under the consideration
of the Government to make the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme
(TUFS) more effective. This was disclosed by the Textiles Minister
Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain while addressing the members of the
Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry
here today. He said, this proposal which is awaiting approval
of the competent authority alongwith the other schemes of the
Powerloom Package will help the Powerloom sector. The other schemes
of the package include, a Group Workshed Scheme to create a better
working environment and obtain higher productivity and improvement
of other infrastructure facilities under the Textile Centre Infrasturcture
Development Scheme (TCIDS). Another Scheme which has been approved
is providing insurance cover to the powerloom workers against
death, accident and disability under a special Group Insurance
Scheme.
The Minister said,
a number of steps have been taken to facilitate the quick modernisation
of the sector. He said, the Government has initiated a scheme
for modernising and strengthening of the Powerloom Service Centres
(PSCs) run by the Ministry following the recommendation of a high
power committee. The government seeks to achieve this by providing
automatic/shuttleless looms and its accessories, training and
teaching aids and other associate facilities. Performance parameters/targets
have been fixed with special emphasis given to human resource
development and testing textiles.
The Minister said,
with the end of quota regime only 2 years away, changes have to
be brought about in the policy. He said, with the removal of garments
from the reserved list for SSI, it has witnessed unprecedented
growth. He said, once the powerloom sector overcomes the discomfort
of excise duty exemption withdrawal, the sector will zoom to a
high growth trajectory.
Participating in
the discussion members welcomed the steps taken by the Government
for assisting the powerloom sector. However, they cautioned the
Government that while doing so, the interest of the handloom weavers
should also be kept in mind. They pointed out that workers in
the powerloom sector and the handloom weavers are suffering because
of the lack of marketing support. They urged the Government to
extend subsidy to the handloom sector as earlier. They said because
of the problems facing the sector, weavers have migrated to other
areas.
Members of Parliament
who attended the meeting are Shri C. Kuppusamy, Shri G. Rama Mohan,
Shri Mohan Rawale, Shri G. Puttaswamy Gowda from the Lok Sabha
and Shri R. Ramachandraiah from the Rajya Sabha.
