Centre Must Allot Rs 900 Crore to Telangana in Union Budget for Textiles Park, Handloom Infra, Says KTR

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Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee

Last Updated: December 30, 2022, 00:34 IST

Telangana minister KT Rama Rao alleged that multiple appeals by the state government to strengthen the handloom and textiles sector were not considered by the Centre. (Image: News18/File)

Telangana minister KT Rama Rao alleged that multiple appeals by the state government to strengthen the handloom and textiles sector were not considered by the Centre. (Image: News18/File)

The minister said recognising the importance of infrastructure to usher in rapid progress of the handloom sector, the Telangana government was establishing Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park in Warangal

Ahead of the Union Budget 2023-24, Telangana IT, handlooms and textiles minister KT Rama Rao urged the central government to allot sufficient funds for strengthening the handloom sector in the state. He said this was the last full budget of the current government, which will be followed by a vote on the account budget.

“At least Rs 900 crore should be allotted in the upcoming budget towards infrastructure for the Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park and other programmes,” he said, appealing that the powerloom sector in Sircilla, which has over 25,000 powerloom machines, should be recognised as mega powerloom cluster and be allotted Rs 100 crore.

KT Rama Rao alleged that multiple appeals by the state government to strengthen the sector were not favourably considered by the Centre. Recognising the importance of infrastructure to usher in rapid progress of the handloom sector, the state government was establishing Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park in Warangal, he said.

The minister further said the biggest textile park in India was attracting investments from national and international companies. He said the Centre had options to extend financial support under various schemes to the park, which is being established with Rs 1,600 crore.

Listing the ‘worker to owner’ scheme and other programmes taken up by the state government, KTR said it took over Rs 990 crore for strengthening the value chain, modernisation of power looms in Sircilla, improvement of market, skill development, capacity building, project monitoring.

The minister said there were over 40,000 handloom weavers in different parts of Telangana, with most in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Gadwal, Warangal, Rajanna Sircilla, Karimnagar. He urged the Centre to grant Indian Institute of Handloom Technology to the state.

Rao also urged for the National Textiles Research Institute, Handlooms Exports Promotion Council to be announced in this budget, and to grant block level handlooms clusters under the National Handloom Development Project. He made a special appeal to scrap the GST on handloom products to save weavers suffering from a financial crisis.

He also appealed to the Centre to revive the handlooms, powerlooms, and handicrafts boards, which were dissolved, to reintroduce insurance and savings schemes for weavers, and increase yarn subsidy similar to the state government’s 50 percent.

Explaining the dire situation of the sector in India, Rao said India was lagging behind smaller countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the textiles segment as the Centre did not provide sufficient infrastructure.

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Source: www.news18.com

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