 "Gujarat govt to amend textile policy soon")
"Gujarat's strength is cotton but we have to boost the spinning industry. Several industry representatives had met me seeking further benefits. Keeping it in mind, necessary amendments to the textile policy will be done shortly and will be announced in next 15-20 days," said Saurabh Patel, minister of state for industries, mines and petrochemicals said recently at an international conference on cotton.
Patel said that the state government is also looking to enhance skill development within the textile industry, apart from strengthening the spinning industry in the textile value chain.
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"We have already instructed the labour department to tie-up and work closely with the textile industry in the state," Patel added.
Earlier in September 2012, the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the Gujarat Textile Policy 2012 and had termed it as a 'White Revolution in Cotton'. Titled as 'Navi Gujarat Vastraniti', the policy looks to attract investment of over Rs 20,000 crore as well as creating new employment opportunities for over 2.5 million people in next five years.
"The objective of the new policy is in keeping the interest of the cotton growing farmers, better price realization in national and international markets, and value addition in the entire chain. It has an integrated approach to strengthen the value chain of 'Farm to Fibre to Fabric to Fashion to Foreign', enhancing sustainable growth of farmers and industry," Modi had said then.
Meanwhile, apart from spinning, according to state government officials, recently textile industry representatives had met the industries minister to seek further amendments in the policy to strengthen the apparel sector as well. So far, out of the 12 textile parks proposed in Gujarat, at least two have already set up even as the state government looks to add seven more within the current fiscal of 2013-14.