Minister of State for Textiles, E V K S Elangovan said the government expects an increase in employment of 45.19 million persons in the textile industry by the terminal year of the Eleventh Plan.
Replying in the Parliament, he said employment in the allied industries is expected to increase from 54.85 million persons to 60.20 million persons.
Consequently, the total employment in the textile sector including allied industries is projected to increase to 105.39 million persons in 2011-12 from the present level of 88.02 million persons, resulting in a net addition of 17.37 million persons.
The vision projected by the textile industry envisages that cloth production would grow at 12 percent and the total turnover at 16 percent per annum during the Eleventh Five Year Plan and reach a level of US$ 115
billion by the terminal year of the Eleventh Plan.
In order to achieve the projected level of growth, it is necessary to address the various handicaps of the manufacturing sector such as deficiencies in transport infrastructure, inadequate power supply, inflexible labour laws etc, the Minister said.
In addition to making concerted efforts to address such handicaps, the government is implementing specific schemes such as Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) etc. with a view to modernizing the textile industry and enabling the industry to benefit from economies of scale and integrated production, he added.