Doddaballapur Integrated Textile Park (DITP), a public-private partnership (PPP) project built over 48 acres at Doddaballapur near Bangalore, was inaugurated here on at the weekend.
The integrated textile and apparel park will attract Rs 200 crore investment and produce textiles worth Rs 350 crore annually, besides generating employment to about 5,000 people.
Speaking after inaugurating the park, Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran said the Central government would facilitate expanding mulberry acreage to boost raw silk production and revive the sericulture sector.
“The mulberry acreage will be increased to 213,000 hectares this fiscal from 190,000 hectares and provide irrigation facility to about 10,000 hectares to boost the sericulture sector which has been reeling under the onslaught of cheap imports from China and global meltdown,” Maran said.
The Central Silk Board will assess the potential of increasing the acreage in the eight mulberry districts across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
“We expect the sericulture sector to bounce back and export silk products worth Rs 4,500 crore next fiscal (2011-12) from Rs 2,612 crore last fiscal (2009-10), Maran said.
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The integrated textile parks under the central scheme will enable the sector to increase the production of high quality fabrics and reduce dependence of the industry on imports.
“The ministry has decided to set up 45 certified multi-end reeling units, replace 451 handlooms and upgrade 1,860 looms in the silk belt of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” Maran noted.
Of the 40 textile parks sanctioned under the public-private partnership model, 21 of them, including the DITP have been commissioned till date.
“The 40 parks, being set up for an investment of Rs 20,000 crore are expected to generate about 500,000 jobs in the textile sector on commissioning,” Maran said.
The Central government is also setting up 110 apparel training and development centres in the garment manufacturing areas across the country to meet the growing needs of skilled workforce in the apparel industry.
“Each centre will be built for Rs 20 crore to train about 5,000 skilled people every year. About Rs 2,200 crore has been earmarked to build the training centres over the next five years,” the minister pointed out.
On completion, the Rs 85-crore Doddaballapur park will have 75 weaving and eight apparel units that will be owned and operated by its members. Basic infrastructure within the park has reached completion, with buildings. Other facilities include dedicated power supply, roads, storm water drains and sewerage systems, water storage and treatment facility and effluent treatment plant.
The Centre contributed Rs 34 crore for the park, while the state government chipped in with Rs 4.33 crore.
The members will invest the balance Rs 46.67 crore.