Minister for Industries and Commerce Mekapati Goutham Reddy has requested Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani to sanction mega textile parks in Anantapur and Nellore districts under the Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme, and a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Visakhapatnam.
He also requested Ms. Irani to support the development of Visakhapatnam as a hub for technical textiles in collaboration with the A.P. MedTech Zone in the city.
Connectivity edge
In a representation to the Union Minister in New Delhi on Thursday, Mr. Goutham Reddy said the textile park in Anantapur would have tremendous scope for business due to its proximity to Bengaluru and that a similar facility near Krishnapatnam in Nellore district would have a major advantage of superior multi-modal connectivity.
Visakhapatnam would be an ideal location for NIFT, for which the State government would provide land and give approvals at a fast pace, he stated.
NHDP funds
Mr. Goutham Reddy sought the support of the Ministry of Textiles for SPKM Indian Institute of Handloom Technology at Venkatagiri in Nellore district. He also wanted the second instalment of funds to be released for developing block-level handloom clusters under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).
Besides, he appealed for the release of Government of India’s share of the marketing incentives under the NHDP.
Further, Mr. Goutham Reddy requested Ms. Irani to release the Central government’s share of about ₹31 crore in the funding of 377 handloom weavers’ cooperative societies for 2013-18 period.
He asked for the immediate release of subsidy under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme to 36 spinning mills, in which joint inspections had been completed and approvals given, and to process the sanctions in the remaining 48 mills where inspections were done.
