Hyderabad: Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday said the Central government did nothing concrete for the development of handlooms and textile sector in Telangana. In a letter to the union Minister for Textiles Piyush Goyal, he criticized the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apathetic attitude towards the textile sector, […]
Hyderabad: Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday said the Central government did nothing concrete for the development of handlooms and textile sector in Telangana.
In a letter to the union Minister for Textiles Piyush Goyal, he criticized the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apathetic attitude towards the textile sector, which provides employment to a large number of people in the country after agriculture.
Launching a blistering attack on the Centre for affecting the livelihood of handloom workers, Rama Rao urged Modi, union Ministers and other BJP leaders from the State to stop speaking lies that the Centre helped the textile industry in Telangana to a large extent.
In fact, the Central government did not provide additional assistance to the industry and handloom workers, he alleged. The current plight of the textile sector in the State was due to the Central government’s careless policies. The agitation for separate State was not only fought for water, funds and jobs but also for the development and welfare of handloom workers, he said.
Explaining in detail the support to be received from the Centre for Telangana’s textile and handloom sector, the TRS government after coming to power requested the support of the Central government several times in the last eight years.
However, the Centre bore a grudge against the handlooms and textiles sector and attempted to weaken it like other public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the country. Instead of coming to the rescue of the sector, the Centre has decided to increase GST on textiles and handlooms leaving the sector crippled.
During his recent visit to the city, Modi announced a mega textile park for Telangana. “Where is the mega textile park?” Rama Rao asked. A request was made to the Central government to provide infrastructure facilities for Kakatiya Mega Textile Park (KMTP) started with the State government funds to the tune of Rs.1,552 crore. But there was no response till date and instead Modi announced setting up of a mega textile park.
Despite countless requests to help KMTP, which was undertaken with an aim of making Telangana a destination for investments by world-class companies in the textile sector, there was no response, Rama Rao said.
One of the world’s textile giants, Young One Company has invested in KMTP with international standards, to compete with the world. Rama Rao requested the Centre to provide support to the mega textile park which is of such national importance.
He alleged the Central government has not responded to the request to set up a mega power loom cluster in Sircilla, which has the largest number of power looms in the State. The NDA government has not done anything for the financial future of about 26,000 power loom workers. Under the guidance of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, a weaving, an apparel park and a common facility centre are being set up to help handloom workers in Sircilla.
Yadadri, Gadwal, Narayanpet, Warangal, Sircilla, Siddipet and Karimnagar have around 40,000 highly skilled handloom workers. Telangana is home for world famous sarees like Pochampally, Gadwal, Narayanpet, Ikkat and Gollabama.
Rama Rao criticized the Centre for not responding to the request to set up Indian Institute of Handloom Technology in Telangana as it was shifted to Andhra Pradesh during bifurcation of the State. Several requests were made to set up the institute, which is essential to increase the income of handloom workers and provide the same to the future generations.
Yet, the Centre did not respond. The same attitude continued even to the request made to set up the Handloom Export Promotion Council along with the National Textile Research Institute in Hyderabad. The Centre has also ignored another request to establish 15 block level handloom clusters in Telangana as part of National Handloom Development Program (NHDP).
Rama Rao demanded the Central government abolish GST on handloom apart from reducing GST on textiles. It was the NDA government that imposed taxes on khadi cloth like never before in the history of the country. He demanded reduction in GST on textile products, especially a complete exemption from GST on handwoven garments keeping in mind the ongoing protests all over the country against the anarchic economic policies of the Central government.
If the Centre is committed to the welfare and development of handloom workers in the country, then it should withdraw GST before National Handloom Day on August 7. Though the Telangana government was ready to bear 50 per cent of the funds for upgradation of powerlooms in the State, there was no response.
Rama Rao demanded the Centre release necessary funds for the up-gradation of ‘maramaggalu’ in Telangana. The union Textile Ministers were changed regularly but the problems of the sector in the State remained unattended.
The TRS MPs would raise the problems being faced by the handloom sector and workers and corner the Central government in Parliament on the issues. For the sake of politics, many leaders including union Ministers from New Delhi are visiting Telangana as political tourists. At the same time, they should also make positive announcements in the larger interest of handlooms workers. The leaders from New Delhi should keep politics aside and work for the development of workers in the State.
“If it wants to come to the rescue of the handloom sector, the Centre should come up with concrete measures for the development by International Handlooms Day or else handloom workers will corner BJP leaders in the State,” Rama Rao said, adding that the sector needs encouragement from the Central government.