The Ministry of Textiles India has decided to disband the All India Powerloom Board after announcing the same fate for the All India Handicrafts and Handloom boards a few days earlier.
Along with this decision, all 8 Textiles Research Associations (TRAs) have been notified of a change altering their status as ‘affiliated bodies’ to ‘approved bodies’ that will conduct research, testing and developmental activities related to the textile sector.
The disbanding of these boards is in line with the nation’s “minimum government, maximum governance” principle, in turn fulfilling a vision for a “leaner government machinery and for systematic rationalisation of government bodies.”
Assessment of the boards revealed that they had become privy to ‘middlemen culture’ and ‘political patronage’, thus failing to fulfill the purpose of helping weavers in the country.
The decision to disband the boards was made after this realisation. The Government will instead appoint field officers to reach out to weavers and create links with district, state and administrations.
The powerloom board constituted of representatives of both central and state Governments, Powerloom Federation and associations of powerloom and textile industry.
The notification for disbandment of the All India Powerloom Board came on 4 August, but the changes in TRAs were notified on 6 August.
The 8 TRAs include Northern India TRA in Ghaziabad, Bombay TRA, Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association, Synthetic and Art Silk Mills Research Association in Mumbai, Coimbatore-based South India TRA, World Research Association in Thane, Man-made TRA in Surat and Kolkata-based Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association.
