The Indian Ministry of Textiles has specified the practical details of a 100 day plan with the aim of helping the textile industry. In addition to the launch of two new textile parks, the Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran promised aid for 150,000 weavers and financial support for exporters in finding new markets outside of the European Union and the United States.

Dayanidhi Maran, Indian Textiles Minister - Photo courtesy of Pib

Most of all, it is the promise of training for 50,000 others that the Indian press has been talking about, as well as that of medical insurance for the aforementioned weavers. It must be said that a large proportion of local area textile workers have not hitherto owned proof of identity, which has deprived them of social aid and other state financed support. The Ministry is trying to resolve this problem by distributing 150,000 identity cards in the near future.

A round-table meeting should be held in the coming days, bringing the domain’s principal actors together with the aim of advancing toward the target set a few months ago of creating 10 million jobs in the next five years. The Cotton Corporation has already been granted a large increase in funding, subsidizing farmers in case of a large drop in the price of raw cotton. Many exporters have also for their part received financial aid in their quest for new buyers in previously unexplored markets.

By Jonathan Fulwell (Source: Matthieu Guinebault)