The Union government has undertaken a Rs..1,038 crore ($156 million) under the North-East Region Textile Promotion scheme (NERTPS) to boost textile exports, increase jobs and curb the migration of workers in Northeast. The project is also aimed at developing and modernizing the textile sector by providing region-specific flexibility in execution.

Textile Secretary Rashmi Verma said that the textile ministry under the NERTPS has been providing Rs.18 crore each for setting up of a ready-made garment manufacturing unit or Apparel and Garment Making Centre (AGMC) in each of the eight Northeastern States. It would also provide financial assistance to run the units after their commissioning.

The first AGMC was inaugurated in Nagaland on April 6 and the second one in Tripura on April 8. The AGMCs in other six States are expected to start manufacturing in a month. After starting production of all the eight AGMCs, there would be a landmark development in the textile sector in the northeastern region, the senior IAS officer added.

The AGMCs aim to boost the scopes of employment and exports and curb migration of workers from this region to other parts of the country.

Three hundred Japanese computerized sewing machines will be installed in each of the eight AGMCs. Of the 300 sewing machines, 200 would be used for manufacturing and 100 for providing training. The Tokyo-based Juki company will be supplying sewing machines. They started making sewing machines in 1947 and presently has customers in 170 countries from China to the Vatican.

Each AGMC will provide direct employment to 1,200—1,500 people, mostly women, and take care of skill up—gradation and marketing of finished products. Each unit is expected to meet the demand for uniforms and garments of the police, security and paramilitary forces — as also schoolchildren and civilians — in the region.

Verma said that under the cluster development projects for handlooms, the rich and well—liked handloom sector of the northeast would be developed and modernized to increase production, productivity, employability and value addition of the handlooms by means of technology up-gradation.

As bamboo is one of the rich resources of the region, handicrafts with a variety of designs and its diverse use in northeastern states have an immense global market. This sector must be developed. Sericulture is another viable sector which also has tremendous scope to -provide more and more employment and to earn foreign exchange.

With a 46 million population, the northeastern states share a more than 5,435—km border with China, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Some of the states have trade ties with a few of these countries, especially Bangladesh and Myanmar. Thus, the AGMCs have scope to exporting readymade apparel to these adjoining and other countries.

The readymade garments contribute 11 percent of India’s exports, seven percent to GDP and provide the maximum employment after agriculture.

India’s current share in the global apparel and garment market is a mere 3.7 percent against Bangladesh’s 6.1 percent and Vietnam’s 4.3 percent, signifying that India has the potential to step up output, both for domestic requirements and exports.

This is just a start up for textile industry as a host of schemes are planned in the northeastern states under the NERTPS, which covers projects across the textiles sector ranging from sericulture, handlooms, handicrafts, power looms to apparel and garmenting.