MGNREGA scheme to be linked with specific textile sectors not entire textile sector

Textile Minister Santosh Gangwar had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after taking charge requesting him to link the entire textile sector, including garments and fibre, to MGNREGA, rural job scheme.

But, the Prime Minister’s Office has ruled out including the entire textile sector under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). The scheme will link only specific sectors within the textile industry such as handicraft and handloom.

The MGNREGA scheme is already available for the silk cultivation sector. The proposal of including the handicraft sector in the scheme, which was also being explored by the earlier UPA regime, is now being followed up by the new Government as well.

The Rural Development Ministry does not want to tamper with the existing scheme and they have been told that the textile industry, as a whole, cannot be included. But, specific sectors, depending on their vulnerability, will be considered, a Textile Ministry official said.

Under the MGNREGA scheme, the Government guarantees minimum wages for a minimum 100 days in a year for every household.

The textile industry, especially the garment sector, has been demanding for long that the scheme be available for workers employed by it. Garments producers complain of labour shortage during peak demand season, as many workers prefer to work under the MGNREGA schemes.

But the Rural Development Ministry is of the opinion that many within the textile industry, including garment producers, can afford to offer more than the minimum wages given by the Government to attract labour. The textile sector is the second largest employment generating sector after agriculture in the country employing about 35 million people.

According to the Rural Development Ministry only sensitive sectors such as sericulture that need support should be integrated with the scheme.

Recent Posts

Indorama Ventures partners for commercial-scale bio-PET bottles

Indorama Ventures has teamed up with Suntory, Iwatani, and others to introduce the first commercial-scale bio-PET bottle, made from certified…

11 hours ago

Milliken & Company launches innovative moisture barrier

Milliken & Company has introduced Milliken Assure, first flame-resistant moisture barrier for firefighter turnout gear that is free from PFAS…

11 hours ago

Paradise Textiles, Kintra Fibers launch bio-synthetic material garment

Paradise Textiles has collaborated with Kintra Fibers, a leader in bio-based fibers, to produce the first garment made from Kintra’s…

11 hours ago

Swisstulle advances dyeing efficiency with JigMaster

Swisstulle adopted JigMaster for its dyeing and finishing operations, especially for high-quality technical textiles used in fashion and automotive industries.

5 days ago

Birla Cellulose and Circ partner to scale textile recycling

Birla Cellulose, a leader under the Aditya Birla Group, has announced a long-term partnership with Circ, a U.S.-based textile recycling…

5 days ago

CARBIOS unveils enzymatically recycled polyester t-shirt

CARBIOS has collaborated with leading brands Patagonia, PUMA, Salomon etc. to create a groundbreaking polyester garment made entirely from textile…

5 days ago