Indian Ministry of Textiles has approved a new financial scheme to aid small powerloom units, hit hard due to frequent power cuts, for installation of solar photovoltaic (SPV) plants. “The funds requirement for the three years (2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-2020) would be Rs. 19.95 crore, covering 480 powerloom units in the country,” informed Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani.
The subsidy is expected to make power cost economical for the looms and make the units self-sufficient on the power front while the Government can supply grid power to other industries.
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The decentralized powerloom sector, which has a share of nearly 55 per cent in the total clothes produced in the country, plays a vital role in the employment generation in the country. Currently, there are 25 lakh powerlooms among which only less than 2 lakh are technologically upgraded. The powerloom sector employs 65 lakh people most among them have high input costs and reduced purchase of fabrics.
