Mega textile and carpet clusters to be set up

October 9th, 2009 Boy arrested in fire at 1800s Maine textile millLEWISTON, Maine — A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed a historic textile mill overlooking a waterfall in Maine's second-largest city. Flames shot through the windows and licked through the roof of the vacant 60,000-square-foot Cowan Mill in Lewiston in July.

October 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet today approved modifications in the existing mega power policy. This would encourage setting up of mega power plants to take advantage of economies of scale and improve their viability.

October 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The cabinet Thursday approved amendments in the mega power policy to encourage setting up of new power plants. According to the new norms, the states that control the power distribution network can also buy electricity from mega power plants.

September 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran will inaugurate the Gujarat Eco Textile Park setup under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) at Surat on Wednesday. The park has been set up in an area of 104 acres, at a cost of Rs.

August 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Though the overall economy has started showing signals of an early recovery, the country's textile sector, the second largest employment provider, is still struggling with the slowdown, an industry report said Monday. The report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) said decline in textile exports and massive layoffs in the industry were still continuing.

July 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government is promoting an export policy regime for the textiles industry that will cover all potential markets including South East Asia, said Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran Wednesday. The government is also promoting textiles mega shows in potential markets.

July 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The police commissioners of six states have held discussions with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) to prepare plans for mega city policing needs, parliament was informed Tuesday. The police commissioners of six states have held discussions with BPR&D to prepare a perspective plan for the sub-scheme of mega city policing under the 'modernisation of state police force scheme' with a view to prioritise mega city policing needs, Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Welcoming the general budget 2009-10, Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran Tuesday said some more announcements on empowerment of weaker sections and facilities for the growth of medium and small scale enterprises in the sector will be made soon. "We are going to converge with certain other announcements, particularly empowerment of weaker sections, welfare of workers in the unorganised sector and facilities for the growth of medium and small scale enterprises to utilise fully the assistance under schemes outlined in the budget, Maran told reporters here.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will spend Rs.1,100 crore (Rs.11 billion) annually till 2012 to provide subsidies and upgrade technology to the textile sector, Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran said here Wednesday. The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), which was launched to improve competitiveness and overall long term viability of the industry, has been extended till March 31, 2012.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will provide health insurance to 150,000 weavers and open two textile parks, Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran said Wednesday while unveiling the department's first 100 days' work agenda. "The textile sector is the second largest employer after agriculture and accounts for 13.5 percent of the total merchandise export earning and four percent of the GDP," said Maran.

June 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government will exempt the slowdown-hit textile sector from service tax as part of its short-term strategy to bail out the industry, Minister for Textiles Dayanidhi Maran said here Friday. As part of our short-term strategy for the textile industry, we will try to rationalise fiscal structure, exempt service tax, reduce interest rates on pre and post-shipment credit and facilitate faster clearance of arrears, Maran said here while releasing a report on the effects of the slowdown on the textile sector.

June 6th, 2009 BANGALORE - A decline in export orders has adversely affected the textile industry in Bangalore. Around 35 million people employed in the industry have been hit hard.

February 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has rationalised the foreign investment norms as there is a tightening in the global markets, but the cap on such investments in single-brand retail would continue, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said here Thursday. 'The government has rationalised calculation of FDI (foreign direct investment).

February 5th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Call it Jabeer Babu Ansari's magic carpet. Having shot into the limelight by weaving a 160-foot-long carpet for a hotel in China, the Indian manfufacturer is now flooded with fresh orders from that country.

January 20th, 2009 SURAT - The Income Tax department continued search and seizure operations for the second day Wednesday, raiding 14 more textile units in this south Gujarat city to unearth unaccounted income. On Tuesday, the department had targeted 40 textile and paint manufacturing units.