Union textile ministry to roll out schemes to the tune of Rs.427 crore to promote geotechnical textiles in the North East India. The foundation stone for an Apparel and Garment Making Centre at Guwahati was laid by Tarun Gogoi, Assam chief minister and Santosh Kumar Gangwar, union textile minister on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Gangawar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given special attention to the ministry of textiles, with special focus on states in the North Eastern Region. The Apparel and Garment Making Centres are being opened in every state in the region, as part of the landmark initiative announced by Modi in Nagaland earlier.
Work on such a Centre for Nagaland has already begun. The minister laid the foundation stone for such a centre in Manipur on March 24, in Sikkim on March 25, and in Arunachal Pradesh on April 16.
Under this scheme each state will have one centre with three units, each having 100 machines. For local entrepreneurs with requisite background, required facilities to start a unit will be provided in ‘plug and play’ mode. Once such entrepreneurs get established, they can set up their own units, allowing the facility to be provided to new entrepreneurs.
The initiative comes under the North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the ministry of textiles. NERTPS is an umbrella scheme for the development of various segments of textiles, i.e. silk, handlooms, handicrafts, apparels and garments. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs. 1038.10 crore in the 12th Five Year Plan.
Textile’s Secretary, S. K. Panda said that the garment making Centre will provide employment to the youths of Assam. The project will be completed in three months with a total cost of Rs. 18 crore, fully funded by the centre. He said that this project will be helpful in skill upgradation, garment development and marketing.
He also said that a scheme, worth Rs.427 crore, has been sanctioned to promote geotechnical textiles in the North East, which will be helpful in stabilizing roads, addressing the problem of landslides and preserving water bodies.
