In a letter to Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan, the CPI requested his help in creating a textile park in Puducherry as part of the PM MITRA initiative.
In a meeting with the Lt. Governor, a CPI delegation headed by State Secretary AM Saleem delivered a memorandum outlining the case for a textile hub in Puducherry, which was also a top priority for the local populace.
Due to its rich history of prosperous textile mills up till a few decades ago, Puducherry is eligible for a textile park under the PM MITRA project. Once a centre for cotton textiles, the area saw the establishment of businesses like Anglo French Textiles (AFT), Swadeshi Cotton Mills, and Bharathi Textile Mills in the 19th century, all of which made major contributions to the socioeconomic advancement of the area.
Up till 2014, the AFT employed 7,500 people and earned Rs. 152 crore in foreign exchange. However, a number of reasons, mostly connected to policy, caused the company to fall in a competitive market. According to the CPI, the mills were closed because successive governments were unwilling to operate and renovate them.
According to the memorandum, Puducherry’s textile sector might thrive once more and contribute socioeconomic value if it were given the right patronage. An integrated textiles value chain, from spinning to production at a single location, was recommended in the memorandum. Fashion tourism, which blends the unique market sector of creativity, culture, and shopping, has the potential to grow in addition to creating jobs and income.
The memorandum acknowledged that Kailashnathan had just visited the now-defunct AFT to perhaps look into the possibility of renovating the mills, but it also pointed out that the Government appeared to be considering other options for bringing the business back to life.
The document further said that in order to get Puducherry included in the PM MITRA Scheme, K. Subbarayan, MP and national vice president of the AITUC, met with the secretary of the textile ministry. If the Puducherry government approaches with a proposal, the Textile Secretary has promised to reply favourably.
According to the memorandum, despite the Puducherry Industries Minister’s announcement before the Assembly that a textile park will be created, no real effort has been made in this direction.
It asked the Lt. Governor to step in and convince the Centre to accept the textile park argument by adding Puducherry to the PM MITRA program.
