Package for textile units soon: Vaghela

Union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela has asked research associations to introduce short-term education courses to fill the void of skilled workers in this sector.

The minister said, "At present, there are no short-term course in textiles and demand for skilled labour is more than the supply. We do have institutes like National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and National Institute of Design (NID) but they have their own limitations since they focus more on designing."

Addressing the seminar on 'Bountiful Cotton Harvests: Trade Opportunities for Gujarat Ginners' at Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association (ATIRA),

He requested ATIRA to take initiatives to run such courses. On whether the floods had affected the production of cotton, he said there was not much of a loss, and added that the Centre would soon announce a package for textile units of flood affected soon.

The minister also said of the 250 lakh bales of cotton expected to be produced this year, Gujarat's contribution will 100 lakh bales.

"The yield of cotton farmers in Gujarat has increased by more than 725 kilograms per hectare and is moving towards cotton productivity standards prevalent globally, " he said.