The 1st Mega Textile Park to come up in South Tamil Nadu

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).