UP to amend textile policy to reboot industry

Amid the influx of three million migrant workers from other states following covid-19 lockdown, the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to amend the policies of several labour-intensive industries for rebooting industrial activities and creating mass employment. These industries include food processing, textile, dairy, tourism, handloom, and pharmaceutical.

UP chief minister Adityanath has asked officials to fine-tune the existing policy framework to make it more “dynamic and competitive” so that lockdown-hit industrial activity is reenergised for job creation. Presiding over a review meeting at his official residence in Lucknow, Adityanath asserted that appropriate amendments to the existing policies be made to suit the contemporary needs, especially in the backdrop of the covid-19 challenge.

The policies on the anvil for the proposed amendment include UP Food Processing Policy 2017, UP Milk Policy 2018, UP Tourism Policy 2018, UP Handloom, Powerloom, Silk Textile and Garmenting Policy 2017 and UP Pharmaceutical Industry Policy 2018. He has instructed for speedy clearances to the food processing proposals, so that they could be set up speedily and enriching the farm value chain.

“The maize crop is grown in abundance in the Western and Central parts of UP. Therefore, corn based food processing industries be promoted in such regions,” he said adding banana chips units could be encouraged in the Kushinagar region of Eastern UP.

Besides, the CM stressed upon spurring the dairy sector by strengthening the dairy committees at the local level. “We have to create a robust dairy supply chain and the farmers need to be provided with high quality milch cattle.”

The Adityanath government had signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with four industry chambers for providing employment to nearly 1.1 million migrant workers. The MoUs were signed with Indian Industries Association (IIA), Ficci, Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB) and National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco), which have the mandate of generating 300,000; 300,000; 250,000 and 250,000 jobs respectively.