Piyush Goyal
India’s rich tradition of textiles, which dates back to the ancient era, is poised for a quantum leap that will make India a global investment, manufacturing and export hub. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced seven PM MITRA mega textile parks in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These mega textile parks will be set up with an outlay of Rs. 4,445 crore. This would be the biggest-ever initiative for infrastructure in this sector. Inspired by the prime minister’s 5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign), PM MITRA park scheme is a major step forward to achieve the Atmanirbhar Bharat and ‘Vocal for Local’ initiatives. The mega parks will help the sector achieve its target of a turnover of $250 billion and exports of $100 billion by 2030. It will revolutionize the sector and create global champions with the help of world-class facilities, state-of-the-art infrastructure and an integrated value chain at each location. A Master Developer will be selected who will be responsible for designing, planning, building, financing, operating and maintaining the PM MITRA Park. This is a big jump for the industry as the value chain is currently scattered across the country, which adds costs and delays in each link of the chain. Indian industry will become globally competitive as the parks will help scale up operations, cut costs, improve efficiency and supply high-quality textiles and apparels.
These mega parks will create about 20 lakh direct/indirect jobs and attract an estimated Rs 70,000 crore of domestic and foreign investment. They will be shining examples of sustainability, with zero liquid discharge, common effluent treatment, use of emission-free renewable energy and adoption of global best practices. This is in line with the Prime Minister’s call for manufacture of products that have zero defect and zero effect (on the environment).
It is pertinent to note that for centuries, Indian textiles have made a global mark but unfortunately, successive governments have inexplicably neglected the sector. It required PM Modi’s foresight to launch the PM MITRA scheme for the textiles sector, which is one of the mainstays of the Indian economy, a major exports earner and source of livelihood for millions of people, ranging from humble farmers to well-off city dwellers and business leaders.
There were 18 proposals from 13 States to set up PM MITRA parks. The seven mega parks were selected through a transparent process, which was validated by the innovative PM Gati Shakti National Infrastructure Masterplan.
It is another example of collaborative federalism as both the Centre and the concerned States will be partners in the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) that will set up and manage these mega parks. State governments will provide land parcels of at least 1,000 acres and will facilitate provision of reliable power and water supply, waste disposal, an effective single window clearance system, along with a conducive and stable policy regime to ensure smooth operations and ease of doing business. These mega parks will offer excellent infrastructure, plug-and-play facilities, as well as training and research support for the industry. They represent a unique model where the Central and State governments will work together to increase investment, promote innovation, create jobs and ultimately make India the world leader in textiles. The textiles industry has responded enthusiastically to this major initiative of the government, which was taken after extensive consultations with all stakeholders. Leading industry associations of the textiles sector along with top industry bodies such as CII and FICCI have lauded the announcement of PM MITRA mega parks. Industry bodies have expressed optimism that lower logistics cost, modern infrastructure, global scale of operations and supportive policies from the Centre and the States will take Indian textiles to new heights and provide top-quality products at competitive prices to Indian and foreign consumers.
The Ministry of Textiles will oversee the execution of these projects and provide financial support of Rs 500 crore for green field parks and Rs 200 crore for brown field parks as Development Capital Support to the SPV of each park. In addition, it will provide up to Rs 300 crore to units in each park to incentivize speedy implementation. It will also facilitate convergence with other government schemes to give additional incentives. PM MITRA dovetails with the government’s initiatives to sign Free Trade Agreements, which open up developed markets for our Indian textiles, apparels and several other sectors. India has already signed trade deals with UAE and Australia, and is negotiating with Canada, UK and the European Union. These efforts will help Indian textiles get deeper access to profitable developed markets and help the country significantly increase its share in the global textiles and apparel trade. India is already one of the largest exporters of textiles and apparel in the world, but our aspiration in the Amrit Kaal, as the country marches to become a developed nation by 2047 under the decisive and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, is to be the largest exporter in the world. With PM MITRA, we are on the right track.
(The author is the Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, and Leader of House in Rajya Sabha).
