KT Rama Rao, Industries minister of Telangana, has sought the Union Government’s support for various initiatives being taken up by the state for the handloom and texiles sector.
He wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal and urged sanction of central funds for key projects like the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park (KMTP) at Warangal and the mega powerloom cluster at Sircilla.
KT Rama Rao also asked for an Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) to be set up in the state and offered the handloom park at Pochampally for the same.
He also called for the setting up of a National Textile Research Institute as well as a Handloom Export Promotion Council in Hyderabad.
KTR also asked for around Rs. 898 crore to be sanctioned for taking up infrastructure development at KMTP. Spread in 1,200 acres, KMTP is based on the `fibre to fashion’ concept.
Similarly he urged the Centre to sanction the mega powerloom cluster at Sircilla with a funding of Rs. 49.84 crore out of the projected outlay of Rs. 993.65 crore towards filling the various gaps and to implement various components.
Allowing upgradation of powerlooms under the IN-SITU scheme, sanction of 15 block level handloom clusters (BLCs) under the national handloom development programme (NHDP), relaxation in the bank financing requirements under the amended technology upgradation fund (ATUF) for large textile projects from the existing 50 per cent of the project cost 5 per cent to help companies finance their projects as per their size ….. also requested by Telangana.