Rehabilitation Policy for displaced workers of NTC

New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) The Government today informed the Rajya Sabha that it has offered a liberal Modified Voluntary Retirement Scheme (MVRS) to the workers affected by the closure of unviable mills of National Textile Corporation (NTC).

In a written reply, Minister of State for Textiles E V K S Elangovan said the scheme provided for increasing ex-gratia payment to the workers by 50 per cent to 100 per cent depends upon date of revision of wages.

Besides, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has formulated a scheme for counseling, retraining and redeployment of employees of public sector and NTC employees exposed to such programmes.

The amount of compensation paid to the employees of NTC mills under MVRS is more attractive than Voluntary Retirement Scheme in general, he added.

On protection policy for handloom sector, Mr Elangovan replied that the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 was enacted with a view to protect the interests of the handloom weavers in the country from the encroachment of the Powerloom and Mill sector on their livelihood.

Under the Act, protection to the handloom sector was exteded by way of reserving certain textile articles with certain technical specifications for exclusive production by handlooms.

The articles made of cotton or art silk reserved for production by handloom include saree, dhoti, lungi, towel, gamcha and angawastaram, khes, bedsheet, bedcover, counterpane, furnishing (including tapestry and upholstery), jamakkalam durry or durret, dress material, barrack blackets, kambal or kamblies, shawl, loi, muffler, pankhi, woollen tweed, chaddar and mekhala/phanek.

In order to implement the Act effectively, targets are fixed for inspection or power loom units and mills under annual action plan.

Whenever any violation is detected suitable action is initiated under the provisions of the Act, the minister said.

UNI