The Maharashtra government has revoked the requirement that powerloom operators register online in order to receive an extra subsidy, which Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had earlier in the year announced.
In Maharashtra, there are about 13 lakh powerloom units. The textile industry receives significantly subsidised power, with basic powerlooms costing just Rs. 3.5 per unit. The government would now be responsible for paying an additional Rs. 600 crore in power subsidies through 2028.
Vinay Mahajan, a textile activist based in Ichalkaranji, said, “State govt had insisted on an online registration to avail of the additional power subsidy, However, since we have already registered online for the existing subsidy previously, there was no need for this extra task. Therefore, we had requested state govt to cancel the condition, which has now been finally approved.”
Consequently, we had asked the State Government to lift the restriction, and our request has finally been granted. Mahajan went on to say that since the CM’s statement in March, textile owners have been requesting that the higher subsidy be taken into account and that power invoices be delivered with the appropriate amount deducted.
