At a group meeting of about 20 entrepreneurs engaged in handlooms and textile business held here on Thursday, Collector S. Natarajan addressing the group said that the State government has offered to bear 50 percent of the total cost for creating infrastructure facilities such as laying of roads, sewage treatment plant, captive power plant and telecommunication, if they came forward to establish Mini Textile parks (MTP) in the district.

Assistant Director of Handlooms K. Manoharan, District Co-optex Director V. G. Ayyaan, Lead Bank Manager K. S. Suresh Babu and District Industrial Centre, Assistant Director Maideen Basha were present at the meeting.

After Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa made an announcement to this effect in the State Assembly in September last year, the government passed a GO on December 30, 2015 to bear 50 percent of the total infrastructure cost or Rs. 2.50 crore, whichever was low, he said.

Ten entrepreneurs could form a cluster and set up a MTP in 10 acres of land after registering a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). They should buy the land on their own and establish minimum 10 worksheds in the park to avail the subsidy for the infrastructure.

The total investment on buildings and machineries should be more than two times the amount spent for creating infrastructure facilities, he said, quoting the GO.

The Collector said that establishment of MTPs would help to improve the standard of living of handloom and powerloom weavers in the district.

There were more than 12,000 handloom and powerloom weavers in the district and they mostly lived in Paramakudi and Emaneswaram areas.

The entrepreneurs from Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Master Weavers’ Associations evinced interest in setting up the parks but expressed difficulties in purchasing lands.