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The textiles sector is expected to generate additional 5 million jobs by 2017, taking the total employment in this field to about 50 million.
The new jobs will be created because of growing demand for apparel and textiles in domestic as well as international markets.
"We expect that textiles sector would create additional 5 million jobs during the 12th Plan period (2012-17) as it has been expanding to cater to the needs of both local and overseas customers," Textiles Minister Kavuru Sambasiva Rao told PTI.
He said that as there is a huge manpower requirement in the industry, about 1.5 million people would be trained by the end of 2017 to join the industry.
To meet the need for skilled workers in the sector, the ministry had launched an Integrated Skill Development Sector (ISDS) in 2010 on a pilot basis for two years.
During the pilot, 29 projects, with an outlay of Rs 585.52 crore, targeting 5.76 lakh trainees, were sanctioned. So far, around 1.55 lakh people have been trained under the scheme.
On August 22, the Cabinet Committee on Skill Development has approved continuation and expansion of ISDS during 12th Plan to train 15 lakh persons with an outlay of Rs 1,900 crore.
Rao has called for strategic and time-bound action for building-up modern manufacturing capacity not only to meet the export target but also to address the growing demands of the domestic market.
Recently, the Rural Development Ministry has agreed to integrate the workers in sericulture sector with MNREGA programme that guarantees 100-day employment to the poor in rural areas every year.
The principle aim of the scheme is to provide employment to people who do not get jobs during the off-season periods. Linking the scheme to the textiles sector is also expected to help in training the workforce.
During 2012-13, India's textiles exports stood at $34 billion. For the current fiscal, the ministry has set an ambitious exports target of $43.5 billion.
The US and Europe together account for almost 65% of India's textile exports.
Faced with weak demand in global markets, mainly the US and Europe, textiles exporters are making efforts to increase their presence in emerging markets like Latin America, Africa and Japan.
