Textiles minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar has inaugurated an apparel and garment making centre in Mizoram on June four to give an opportunity to local entrepreneurs to convert their ideas and designs into flourishing businesses and create additional employment opportunities for the local people in the North East.

On the occasion, the minister expressed hope that the apparel centre would promote entrepreneurship in the garment industry in Mizoram and assured them all possible support to make this units commercially viable.

He said the entrepreneurs may also dovetail with other schemes of the centre, in order to avail financial assistance to start the business. The growth of garment industry in Mizoram will provide a fillip to the traditional sectors like handlooms, handicrafts, silk and help them convert the traditional designs into modern ones.

Gangwar said that the union government is committed for the development of the states in the North East preserving the unique cultural identity and rich heritage of each of the states. Such centre is estimated to generate direct employment for about 1,200 people. Each state will have one centre with three units, each having 100 machines.

One such centre consisting three units of 100 industrial stitching and other garmenting machines has been sanctioned for all the eight North Eastern states with the total cost of Rs 145.44 crore. This followed the announcement of the prime minister, Narendra Modi in Nagaland last year of such centre for every N. E. states.