Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks maintained at Rs 450 crore

New Delhi, Feb 29 (UNI) Finance Minister P Chidambaram has proposed to maintain the provision for Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) at Rs 450 crore in the budget for 2008-09 tabled in the Lok Sabha today.

All 30 integrated textile parks have been approved and 20 units in four parks have commenced production, he said.

''It has been proposed to maintain the provision for SITP at Rs 450 crore in 2008-09 and the provision for Tecnology Upgradation Fund (TUF) is proposed to be increased from Rs 911 crore in the current year to Rs 1,090 crore in 2008-09,'' Mr Chidambaram said.

The cluster approach to the development of the handloom sector has made rapid progress. A total of 250 clusters are being developed and 443 yarn banks have been established, he said.

By March 2008, over 17 lakh families of weavers will be covered under the health insurance scheme. It has been also proposed to increase the allocation to Rs 340 crore in 2008-09.

In order to scale up both infrastructure and production, it has proposed to take up six centres for development as mega-clusters.

Varanasi and Sibsagar will be taken up for handlooms, Bhiwandi and Erode for powerlooms, and Narsapur and Moradabad for handicrafts.

Each mega-cluster will require about Rs 70 crore. It has been proposed to start the process with an initial provision of Rs 100 crore in 2008-09.

UNI AK RP ND1740