The State Government has approved a proposal for setting up a block-level textile cluster at Khaira in Baleswar district. An amount of Rs48.52 lakh has also been released out of a total Central Government share of Rs147.04 lakh for the purpose.
This was informed by the Union Textile Ministry in reply to a question of Baleswar MP Rabindra Kumar Jena in the ongoing session of the lok Sabha.
The block- level cluster will be set up under the National Handloom Development Progarmme (NHDP). It will cover 144 beneficiaries in Khaira. “Development of Textile Cluster in Baleswar has been my top priority and I am sure that setting up a cluster here will give the much-needed impetus to the textile sector in the region,” said Jena. Notably, the MP had been demanding for establishment of a textile cluster in the district since 2014. In 24 out of 30 districts, cotton is being produced in about 1,03,000 hectares land and the local artisans produce handloom clothes and linens, Jena said.
“Cotton and textile have a market demand even outside the State and the export market of the sector would become Rs 300 billion by 2024-25. For the purpose, the experts in the sector have made a road map, which included 10-point charter of programmes to achieve the requirement,” he said, adding around three crore population would get jobs by then.
