COIMBATORE:The State government should consider giving washing machines to the public like other freebies, Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) chairman T Rajkumar told newspersons here on Monday.
He lauded the schemes to enable automation of housework by distributing mixies, grinders, etc. As a result, many housewives work part-time in textile units, particularly in fabric inspection, garmenting and made-ups.
This is a step in the right direction, he said, requested the government to consider giving housewives washing machines also so that a skilled and trained workforce of women becomes available for the State's textile sector. They will be able to contribute significantly to the manufacturing of textiles.
Tamil Nadu has around a third of the country's textile industry. With 47 percent of the spinning capacity, the State consumes around 130 lakh bales of cotton annually and accounts for 60 percent yarn exports. It also has 70 percent of cotton-fabric knitting, 20 percent of powerloom and 1.2 percent of handloom capacity. It earns over Rs 60,000 crore as forex annually, he said.
Rajkumar welcomed the government's decision to hold the Global Investors Meet in the State on September 9 and 10. “We hope that the textile industry will make a sizeable contribution in the envisaged investment during the meet,” he said while demanding that the State should implement a comprehensive textile policy to attract large investments.
