Surat: The Indian textile industry is one of the largest industries in the world in terms of production capacity, as well as raw material availability. The central government aims to make the textile sector globally competitive by building high-quality infrastructure, reducing production and logistics costs, and upgrading technology and skills. To achieve this goal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned the ‘P.M. Mitra (Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel-PM MITRA) Park’ as a mega project. The construction of this park in seven states across the country is aimed at establishing a large-scale textile industry, positioning India in the global textile market, creating a competitive environment for quality, and developing world-class integrated industrial facilities.

The Prime Minister has given permission to construct textile parks in seven states, including the Navsari district of Gujarat. On the 13th of July, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and virtually with the Prime Minister, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the park construction in Gujarat will be signed by the state and central governments. This mega-integrated apparel park, to be realized on 1,141 acres of land in Vansi Borsi, Jalalpore taluka, Navsari district of Gujarat, will not only boost the textile industry in Gujarat but also create new employment opportunities across the entire state, including South Gujarat. This initiative will set a prime example of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for the World.’ The establishment of PM Mitra Park is a significant achievement for Gujarat, as it is the only one to be constructed at Vansiborsi in Navsari.

What is the PM Mitra Mega Textile Park Scheme?

The Union Ministry of Textiles has approved the establishment of seven PM Mitra Parks in seven states, including Vansi Borsi in Navsari, Gujarat. These Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks will be realized at a cost of Rs. 4,445 crore. These parks will enable the entire textile value chain, from cotton to thread, thread to garment manufacturing, and finished garment sales and exports, to be integrated into a single location. This integration will support the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Farm to Fiber to Factory to Fashion to Foreign’ (the 5F vision). Additionally, these parks will help India achieve the United Nations’ 9 Sustainable Development Goals.

While the Prime Minister has always strived to build resilient infrastructure and promote sustainable industrialization and innovation, the world-class industrial infrastructure at PM Mitra Park will attract cutting-edge technology and boost foreign direct investment (FDI) and local investment in the textile sector. This plan will position India strongly in the global textile market.

Unprecedented response from industrialists for Vansi Borsi Park: Six times the requested land

The Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has received an unprecedented response from industrialists. GIDC have received demands for six times the total allocable area of the park. In other words, proposals for 3,600 acres of land have been received against the available area of approximately 600 acres. It is worth noting that the state government has allocated the park’s land to GIDC at a token rate, following the guidelines of the Central Government.

PM Mitra Park will fulfill the vision of a self-reliant India

The PM Mitra Yojana will help realize the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and place India at the forefront of the global textile industry. Mitra Park will create an integrated textile value chain, encompassing spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing, printing, and garment manufacturing under one umbrella and at a single location. This integrated textile value chain will reduce the industry’s logistics costs. The Union Ministry of Textiles has selected park sites based on high criteria. Out of the 18 states that submitted proposals for setting up textile parks, seven were accepted, considering criteria such as the availability of contiguous and encumbered land exceeding 1,000 acres, road and rail connectivity, existing ecosystem, state government’s textile and industry policies, infrastructure and utility facilities, and implementation of the Gati Shakti Yojana.

Each park will attract an investment of Rs. 10,000 crores

The PM Center and states will work in a joint venture (JV) mode and through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to establish Mitra Parks. The state government will contribute 51 percent, and the central government will contribute 49 percent of the equity. The textile industry is expected to invest Rs. 10,000 crores in each park. The PM Mitra Park will be developed in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode through an SPV, owned by the Central and State Governments. Each park will have an incubation center, a common processing house, a common effluent treatment plant, and other textile-related facilities like design centers and testing centers.

An incubation center is an organization that helps entrepreneurs develop their businesses and solve early-stage problems by providing a range of business and technical services, seed funding, laboratory facilities, mentors, and networks.

Under this scheme, the central government will provide development capital assistance of Rs. 800 crore for each greenfield Mitra park and Rs. 500 crore for each brownfield park to develop common infrastructure. Greenfield refers to completely new start-up projects, while brownfield refers to projects that have already commenced.

The state’s textile industry, including Surat, will gain new momentum and energy: SGCCI President  Rameshbhai Vaghasia

The President of the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mr. Rameshbhai Vaghasia, stated that Surat’s textile industry contributes 5 percent to India’s total Manmade Fiber (MMF) textile exports. Surat produces a variety of fabrics such as Chiffon, Georgette, Crepe, and Cotton. South Gujarat, including Surat, accounts for 65 percent of India’s MMF cloth production. Surat is equipped with 1.5 lakh embroidery machines, 20 thousand rapier machines, and 6.15 lakh powerloom units. Approximately 4 lakh artisans work in the powerloom industry alone, employing a total of approximately 15 lakh people in Surat’s textile industry. Additionally, around 2.5 lakh women in Surat find employment by working from home, undertaking various tasks such as tiki-stone work, embroidery, lace cutting, sewing, and providing financial support to their families.

Furthermore, he stated that Surat produces 1.8 crore meters of cloth daily on 60 thousand waterjet units, amounting to cloth worth Rs. 27,950 crore annually. The 6,15,000 powerloom machines produce cloth worth Rs. 60,000 crores annually, with a daily production of 2.6 crore meters of cloth. Surat also manufactures 27 crore meters of denim cloth worth Rs. 4,900 crore and linen cloth worth Rs. 700 crore annually on 1500 airjet machines.

Mr. Vaghasia mentioned that the success of Surat’s textile industry can be attributed to entrepreneurship, innovation, and the easy adoption of new technology. Surat has a well-organized network of manpower, including yarn production, dyeing, printing, and embroidery, within a 45-kilometer radius. Surat is known for its value addition, which has made luxurious cloth affordable. He further added that the selection of Vansi Borsi in the Navsari district by the state government as the site for the park, which has excellent infrastructure and related facilities, is a commendable step. In the future, the park’s establishment will elevate Navsari and Vansi Borsi in Gujarat to great prominence in the textile and industry sectors, and it will provide new momentum and energy to the state’s textile industry, including Surat. DeshGujarat