The Technological Upgradation Fund (TUF) programme may be replaced with a new programme for the textile industry, according to Darshana Jardosh, the Union’s State Minister for Textiles, following careful review.
The Minister requested that the sector choose a date for the beginning of the new programme after pointing out that there were approximately 1,500 cases still outstanding relating to the previous Technological Upgradation Fund (TUF) scheme.
At the GCCI Textile Leadership Colloquium on Saturday, Jardosh spoke with 76 associations of the textile industry and stated that the government is taking steps to increase cotton yield. She added that the PM MITRA parks will assist India in becoming a global leader in the textile sector.
In a presentation to the minister, GCCI asked for the new TUF plan to be implemented retroactively as of April 2022. The previous TUF programme will end in March 2022. Additionally, it requested government assistance in resolving ongoing TUF cases because of ‘minor and trivial difficulties’.
Jardosh said, “The central government is taking initiatives for development of the textile sector, which is the second biggest employment provider after agriculture. There were many glitches in the old TUF scheme which came into effect before 2014. Our government has resolved a number of cases from the old TUF scheme but about 1,500 cases are still pending. The TUF scheme ended in March 2022 and it cannot be reintroduced till these cases are resolved. Industry should provide suggestions for a new scheme and we will think them over.”
She continued by saying that seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) are being established in various states, including Gujarat, and that the Union Government has offered production-linked incentives (PLI) for the textile industry.
“We are working to increase cotton yield. Technical textiles are a huge opportunity and we will see growth in this segment,” she said.
