With increased cost of operations and scope of incentives severely restricted to old textile units and labour losses, the Indore textile cluster is the worst affected opined industry experts in a recent report. Over a span of decades, Indore has witnessed the closure of seven textile mills. Experts from the industry demanded that the old mills be revived, if not all, at least one of them. They were speaking at the National Textile Summit held on the platinum jubilee of Textile Association of India (TAI).
The government should play a proactive role in linking incentives and technology to old textile mills that will enable them to upgrade their infrastructure and help them compete with the new players. Amidst a slew of expert opinions, National Textile Association joint secretary, Awadhesh Sharma informed, “Across the State, textile mills of Indore have failed to perform well because of high finance cost and labour issues. Lack of skilled workers is also one of the deterring factors.” Other opinion leaders from the industry also shared their views on the dais.
In a concluding statement, the National Textile Association demanded a separate Ministry for the textile industry. Ashok Veda, National Textile Association Secretary summed up the industry experts’ opinions and said, “Mills can be made cost effective if units are established in the area, where raw material is easily available. Also cottage industry should be promoted to save them from shutting down.”
