Over 682 textile mills closed as on June, TN tops the list: Smriti Irani

Textiles Minister told the Lok Sabha 1,399 textile mills were operational as on June 30. All of them are in the non-small scale industry.

New Delhi, Aug 10: As many as 682 textile mills were closed as on June end this year and 232 of them were in Tamil Nadu, the government said on Thursday.

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani told the Lok Sabha 1,399 textile mills were operational as on June 30. All of them are in the non-small scale industry. At the end of June, 682 textile mills were closed in the country, she said during the Question Hour.

Tamil Nadu tops the chart

Of them, 232 mills were in Tamil Nadu while 85 were in Maharashtra and 60 in Uttar Pradesh. As many as 42 such mills are in Haryana.

Among the 1,399 operational textile mills, 752 were in Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra (135) and Andhra Pradesh (112). Under this government, the textiles industry saw the largest amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), she said, adding that the GST (Goods and Services Tax) as well as the labour reforms have been welcomed by the industry.

Asked whether the government has formulated any scheme to set up new textile mills, the minister replied in the affirmative.

Under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), launched last year, there are benefits in terms of one time capital subsidy of 15 per cent for the garments and technical textiles segments with a cap of Rs 30 crore, Irani said.

Besides, there is 10 per cent capital subsidy for segments like weaving, processing, jute, silk and hand-loom with a subsidy cap of Rs 20 crore for setting up new textile units or for expansion of existing units with bench marked technology.

Responding to a query related to closed textile mills in Maharashtra, the minister said the centre would fully support initiatives for the industry taken by the state government.

PTI