one year of upa government : major policy initiatives and decisions - ministry of textiles

Thursday, May 19, 2005

MAJOR POLICY INITIATIVES AND DECISIONS

(BULLET POINTS)

MINISTRY OF TEXTILES



Hosiery and knitwear from the SSI sector dereserved.

Allocation to TUFS enhanced to Rs.435 crore, along with an additional capital subsidy of 10 per cent for the processing sector.

Duties on specified textile machinery items, raw materials and spare parts for manufacture of such machinery brought down from 20 per cent to 10 per cent whereas the existing concessional duty of 5 per cent on some other machinery continued.

Apparel Parks being set up for Export Scheme to promote of modern apparel units at major growth areas with grant upto Rs.17 crore for infrastructure work, training and common facilities.

Textile Centres Infrastructure Development Scheme introduced with the objective of modernizing infrastructure facilities at major textile centres; sixteen projects already sanctioned.

Merger proposed of the TCID and APE Schemes into one restructured “Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks” for speeding up the implementation of the Schemes and to actualize the vision of attaining the export target of $50 billion by 2010.

Establishment of an institution of National Excellence for imparting Fashion Business Education with International Benchmarking proposed.

The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme further fine tuned to increase rapid investments in the targeted sub-sectors of the textile industry.

For the textile processing sector only, a credit linked capital subsidy at the rate of 10 per cent, in addition to the existing 5per cent interest reimbursement approved and for small scale textiles and jute industries, the rate of credit linked capital subsidy enhanced from 12per cent to 15per cent.

All the NTC workers’ dues amounting to Rs.1800 crore including on VRS paid.

To clear, scour, dry, dehair and card the Pashmina, a Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Leh set up with an expenditure of Rs.8.25 crore.

Policy Guidelines revised for “Vanya Silk cultivation” under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 whereby cultivation of all varieties of Vanya Silk (Tasar, Eri & Muga) on its identified host plants in forests by the tribal and non-tribal rearers is treated as a forest based activity.

National Jute Policy’ 2005 announced.

In Handicrafts sector 112 new projects sanctioned to undertake Baseline Survey & Mobilization under Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana Scheme, aiming to cover about 30,572 artisans and formation of nearly 1800 Self Help Groups of 16 new Common Facility Centres sanctioned.

The Satellite Centre of IICT in Srinagar and Craft Development Institute commenced functioning generated additional 9228 employment during the year.

Decision taken to develop a trademark for Handloom on lines similar to “Wool mark” and “Silk Mark” to enable handloom products to develop with a distinct identity.

Freeing the Handloom Sector from the CENVAT Chain.

The Powerloom Sector Group Workshed Scheme approved 5 Hi-Tech Weaving Park projects to give employment to 12,000 persons.

BSC/SB/CS