The
nation's first Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel Park is set to be
established in Virudhunagar in South Tamil Nadu, and employ an estimated 2 lakh
people, the Memorandum of Understanding for which was signed between the
Central and State governments here on Wednesday.
Giving a big boost to the textile sector, the MITRA Parks, in all,
would create huge employment opportunities and an estimated 20 lakh people
would get 'new work' attracting about Rs 70,000 crore
investment, Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal said here.
The
States chosen to house this mega project were picked based on a transparent
process, he said. The mega project would
ensure South Tamil Nadu's economic growth, Chief Minister M K Stalin said.
Giving
a background on the issues faced within the textile value chain, MR.Goyal said
various processes such as ginning, weaving, processing and shipping were being
done at separate locations that were far away from each other, making the activity
"inefficient and costly". The transportation of material also
involved a high cost, he said. Considering this limitations in the existing
textile sector the government came up
with the vision" of farm to fiber, fiber to factory, factory to fashion,
and fashion to foreign, by which the entire textile value chain could have
all the facilities in one place, the MITRA integrated textile park, he said.
The amenities at the MITRA Park in the state include plug-and-play
infrastructure, an effluent treatment plant and testing facilities. Each of
these parks are set to create huge opportunities for employment, "expand
our export competitiveness" and earn precious foreign exchange..
In his address, Stalin highlighted
the conducive environment for industries in the state and outlined his
government's commitment to attract more investments. Speaking about the
Virudhunagar project, he said infrastructure work at an estimated Rs 2,000
crore, which includes a Central subsidy of Rs 500 crore, will be taken up. Upon
completion, the textile park will
provide employment opportunities to 2 lakh people and would ensure the economic
development of southern Tamil Nadu, he said. A total of 11 MoUs between
State authorities and companies were also exchanged on investment commitments
in the PM MITRA project in Tamil Nadu.
The
Mega textile park is set to be built on a 1,052 acre site in E Kumaralingapuram
in Virudhunagar District, close to the Chennai-Madurai-Kanyakumari national
highway (NH-44), and is well connected to VOC Port Tuticorin and Madurai
airport. The proposed project site is owned by the State Industries Promotion
Corporation (SIPCOT).