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The Union Textiles Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran (centre), launches the sale of cotton through the Cotton Corporation of India's Depot Sales Scheme for Cotton, in Coimbatore. The first sale is being received by the Chairman and Managing Director of Loyal Textile Mills, Mr Manikam Ramaswami (second right). Also seen are the State Minister for Handlooms, Mr K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran (left), the Chairman and Managing Director of Cotton Corporation of India Ltd, Mr Subash Grover (second left), and the State Minister for Rural Industries, Pongalur N. Palanisamy (right), are in the picture.
Our Bureau
Coimbatore, Feb. 8
The Tamil Nadu Government has made a strong pitch for Central aid to tackle the effluent problem faced by the dyeing units in Tirupur, which is a major hub for knitwear production, according to Union Minister for Textiles, Mr Dayanidhi Maran.
He made the case for more units in the garment manufacturing sector in Tamil Nadu since it accounted for the largest employment generation within the textile sector.
He also advised the mills in Coimbatore not to export waste cotton but supply them to the small units involved in mat production in neighbouring Erode district as it was a major export activity.
Depot sales scheme
Speaking at a function to launch the depot sales scheme for cotton in Tamil Nadu by Cotton Corporation of India Ltd (CCI) here on Monday, he said the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr M.K. Stalin, during his recent visit to attend the conference of the Chief Ministers at Delhi, took up two major issues that have a bearing on employment generation in the State.
Natural gas allocation
He said Mr Stalin raised with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the UPA Chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, the case for allocation of natural gas from the KG basin to Tamil Nadu. While the natural gas from Andhra Pradesh could be transported to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, a neighbouring State was left out. Mr Stalin also sought a permanent solution to the effluent problem confronting the dyeing units in Tirupur.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, has agreed to provide as the share of the State Rs 120 crore and the Centre was urged to provide double that amount to find a lasting solution.
Cuddalore park
Mr Maran said the Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA) has not fulfilled its promise to establish a textile park at Cuddalore with processing facilities and permission was also obtained for letting into the sea treated effluent water.
Though the industries had faced recession for two or three years, they are now on revival mode and he urged the textile industry to commence work on the park so as to find a permanent solution to the effluent problem.
This is not an issue that concerned only the dyeing units and the spinning sector also should rise to the occasion. (An official of SIMA later said the project has not been jettisoned and is on course to being implemented.)
Mr Maran, pointing out that the Ministry was supplying cotton at competitive rates to the mills, asked them not to export waste cotton as it was required by the units in Erode that are involved producing mats that were exported and asked the mills to behave with ‘social responsibility' and not to focus on making profit alone.
He said the CCI was able to commence depot sales of cotton at Coimbatore and Rajapalayam because of the decision of the Chief Minister to waive the 4 per cent sales tax and if the other States gave a tax waiver, the CCI is willing to extend a similar scheme to those States.
He said in the last 10 years, under the TUF scheme, the Centre has provided subsidy of Rs 67,221 crore, of which Rs 18,933 crore constituting nearly 30 per cent has been given to the mills in Tamil Nadu.
He said the highest employment generation in the textile sector came from the garment manufacturing units and generation of more jobs was dependent on the creation of more garment producing units in the State.
Because of the tax concession, the mills could save Rs 2-3 per kg of yarn and he wanted the mills to pass on this benefit to the knitwear sector for mutual growth.
Others who spoke were Tamil Nadu Ministers Mr K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and Mr Pongalur N.Palanisamy, the Deputy Chairman of Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, Mr S.V. Arumugam, the Chairman of SIMA, Coimbatore, Mr J. Thulasidharan, the Mayor of Coimbatore Corporation Mr R. Venkatachalam and CMD, CCI, Mr Subhash Grover.
09 February, 2010 by admin