Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union food processing industries minister and Lok Sabha MP from Bathin during her visit to Mann - the village adopted by her under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana on Saturday announced that Centre has sanctioned Rs200 crore textile park for Punjab which will be constructed in Bathinda, cotton hub of the state.

The park would have automatic modern machines wherein finest cotton thread and cloth would be manufactured. The waste cotton plant, dyeing plant and readymade garments units would also be set up in it. Besides this different kinds of weaving, cloth, ring spun such as carded thread, combed thread, lycra, ring spun yarn of polyester cotton mix and knitted fabric plant would also be set up in textile park.

Without giving names of private players who could be invited to set shops in the park, Harsimrat said that the foundation stone of the textile park would be laid in the next couple of months.

She said that work on textile park would be completed one-and-a-half year. With the commission of the textile park, the cotton producers would get better returns for their crops as well as would generate better employment opportunities for hundreds of people.

She further added that private players running the park would be asked to provide employment opportunities to more women and a hostel would be constructed in its premises for them. The park would prove to be of immense use to the women especially.

Bathinda parliamentary constituency was the epicenter of cotton belt and in this scenario the textile park would be a boon for the people here.

The Food Processing Minister said the farmers would be able to sell cotton at better prices in plant, the cloth from this plant will also find market in country and abroad, bringing in economic betterment for people of Malwa.