Odisha is also in the race to get approval for one of the seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) parks.
As per reports, the State Government is readying a proposal for the establishment of a textile park. It has identified around 1,000 acres at Neulopoi near Dhenkanal.
The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has finalised a consultancy firm, Grant Thornton, to make the preliminary project report (PPR) seeking setting up of the park. It has engaged the industries department as the nodal agency for the purpose.
Hemant Sharma, Industries Secretary of the state, told Times of India, a leading English daily, “Considering various aspects like availability of suitable land, water and power supply to the place, road and rail connectivity, centralised location that should be far from coastal areas in view of natural disasters, particularly cyclones, we have selected a patch of land for the establishment of the textile park.”
He also expressed optimism that the Centre would consider Odisha’s proposal as it meets all the requisite criteria.
It has been said that the state is ready to hand over the 1,000 acres of land at a nominal rate to the special purpose vehicle (SPV), to be formed for the development of the textile park.
Considering Odisha’s huge potential for growth of the textile industry, the State Government has listed the textile and apparel sector as one of the six focus sectors to draw investments.
Odisha, which has few of the organised garment factories, has skilled manpower in the textile and apparel sectors and has, consequently, also proposed to set up cotton processing, spinning and weaving, textile and garment plants to draw investment in the sector.
It is pertinent to mention here that Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Jharkhand are also trying to get park under ambitious PM MITRA scheme.
