In a major boost for cotton growers in Vidarbha, the Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) park at Amravati in Maharashtra was formally launched on Sunday (16 July).
The park, funded by the central government, will come up on the land provided by Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC). A textile park, which has been developed by the MIDC is already located nearby.
The PM-MITRA Park is located adjacent to the additional Amravati Industrial Area and is situated just 30 kilometre away from the Mumbai Nagpur Samruddhi Highway and 147 kilometre from the nearest port, the Wardha Dry Port.
Amravati Textile Park is expected to attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore and create both direct and indirect employment for approximately 300,000 individuals.
During the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the MIDC, Government of Maharashtra, and the Union Ministry of Textiles for the establishment of PM-MITRA Park.
Plug-N-Play
The entire infrastructure will be set up by the government, opening it for investors to simply start their units in the area.
For example, a central effluent treatment plant is an integral part of any textile hub. In this case, it would be directly set up by the government. In a conventional industries hub, much of the related amenities have to be created by the investors themselves.
The prestigious textile park was launched by Union Minister of Textiles, Piyush Goyal in the presence of Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“The well-connected infrastructure of Amravati, including its road, rail, port, and airport networks, will significantly boost the textile industry in Maharashtra,” said Goyal.
PM-MITRA Scheme
The PM-MITRA scheme, first announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 aims to develop seven integrated large scale and modern industrial infrastructure facility for the entire textile value chain, from fibre to fabric to garment.
Subsequently, in March 2023, the centre announced setting up of mega textile parks in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh under the scheme.
The location for the seven mega textile parks were selected using the “Challenge Method”.
Each park will come up in at least 1,000 acre land with ready nearby availability of raw material, fully-equipped infrastructure including port, road and rail connectivity, water and power availability etc.
For a greenfield PM-MITRA park, the Centre’s development capital support will be 30 per cent of the project cost, with a cap of Rs 500 crore.
For brownfield sites, after assessment, development capital support of 30 per cent of project cost of balance infrastructure and other support facilities to be developed will be extended. The limit has been set at Rs 200 crore.