GUWAHATI, May 19 � Union Minister of State for Textiles Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today unveiled the foundation plaque of an apparel and garment making centre to be set up at Paschim Boragaon here.
The project worth Rs 18 crore is fully funded by the Union government and would be completed in three months� time. Once completed, the initiative is supposed to provide employment to 1,200 people.
Addressing the inaugural function, Gangwar informed the gathering about some other initiatives to promote the north-eastern textile that includes a scheme for promoting the usage of geotechnical textile in the north-eastern region. The scheme worth Rs 427 crore includes geotextiles promotion for increasing the durability of roads, protecting hill slopes and also for lining of water reservoirs.
He said that as per instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his ministry�s special focus was on the NE region. Apparel and garment making centres are being opened in every state in the region.
The initiative comes under the North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the Ministry of Textiles. NERTPS is an umbrella scheme for development of various segments of textiles, i.e. silk, handlooms, handicrafts and apparels and garments. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs 1038.10 crore in the 12th Five Year Plan.�
The Union Minister also said that the Centre was keen on states� participation in the textile parks scheme.
�We also propose to combine textile and tourism together so that one sector can promote the other,� he added.
The State government has given1.5 acres of land for the project in Guwahati along with other necessary support.
Chief Minister Gogoi in his address, said that geotextiles will be very useful for Assam. Stressing the need for providing the artisans with cost-effective material and technology, he assured of support from the State government. He said that Assam has immense potentiality for linking tourism with textile and such initiatives would help the State.
Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Dr SK Panda said the garment making centre would have multipurpose functions. While one unit of the centre would look after skill development, two others would be used for stitching uniforms and producing fashion garments.
He said this project would be helpful in skill upgradation, garment development and marketing.
Bismita Gogoi, Minister of Handloom, Textile & Sericuture and Cultural Affairs; Ajanta Neog, Minister, PWD; Jitesh Khosla, Chief Secretary and Dilip Borthakur, Commissioner & Secretary Handloom, Textiles and Sericulture, were also present on the occasion.
