Maharashta to design solar power scheme for textile mills

In order to make more power available to the textile industry in the state, the government of Maharashtra will design a scheme for enabling the use of solar power by textile mills, according to the state’s textile minister Subhash Deshmukh. The government will also think of introducing new technology to accelerate cotton-to-cloth production process.

 
The Maharashtra government is making efforts to restart closed textile units as well as those that are in bad shape because of market conditions, Deshmukh said in Ichalkaranji, after attending a live broadcast of the launch of the Centre’s PowerTex India scheme.
 
“New technology will be introduced in the sector so that the process of converting cotton to cloth will be accelerated. The power availability issue for the sector will be addressed by designing a scheme to use solar power for textile mills,” Deshmukh said.

Speaking on the implementation of the PowerTex India scheme, he said, “We have decided to get suggestions from various stakeholders to implement this scheme. Large investments are necessary to help the sector grow. The government’s initiatives will help the local textile mill operators. We have also decided to make the cotton available to small textile units to develop a level playing field.”
 
PowerTex India scheme comprises various components including in-situ upgradation of plain powerlooms; group workshed scheme (GWS); yarn bank scheme; common facility centre (CFC); Pradhan Mantri Credit Scheme for powerloom weavers; Solar Energy Scheme for powerlooms; Facilitation, IT, awareness, market development and publicity for powerloom schemes; Tex Venture Capital Fund; and Grant-in-Aid and modernisation and Upgradation of powerloom service centres (PSCs).