States must ensure affordable power, land, effective labour laws to be part of textiles park scheme: Piyush Goyal

States that will ensure support measures such as affordable power, land and effective labour laws will get preference in the selection for the proposed Mega Investment Textiles Parks scheme, Union minister for commerce, industry and textiles Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said that the industry needs power at affordable prices and wants to see consistency in the rates.

"For textile parks, we will only give to those states that give an assurance of affordability of power, land and labour laws being implemented to the fullest and state incentive schemes will be given preference," Goyal said at the first meeting of the apex monitoring authority of of National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT).

Last year, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (MITRA) parks with a total outlay of Rs 4,445 crore for five years to strengthen India's position on the global textiles map.


He also said that states need to attract investors in the projet developed under national industrial corridors.

"For all the projects that have already come up or that are coming up, we must look at attracting investors quickly," he said.

He added that setting up an industrial park with modern plug-and-play infrastructure, single-window system, effluent treatment facility and good labour laws "is great but we want private sector to take that land".

He urged states and officials to do roadshows and encourage industries to invest faster.

Goyal said that pricing of things like land and power should be affordable.

"Power cost should be affordable as investors look at it very seriously. High cost will act as a deterrent to industry... If we find that the existing parks are not being put to use then I promise you that no new parks will come in your area. At least government will not support you.

"So it is a very clear-cut wake up call for all the states that industry needs power at affordable prices," he added.