Ministry of textiles is also implementing two schemes under 12th Five Year Plan programme, namely – Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) and Pashmina Wool Development Scheme (PWDS) – in Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, said Tamta in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.
He also said that value addition of pashmina wool through spinning and weaving is being carried out by distribution of handloom and spinning wheel (charkha). Its objectives are to introduce processing facility of pashmina wool after Dehairing process, ensure value addition of pashmina wool in Leh, increase the income of Pashmina breeders with primary spinning facility and create employment opportunity for the youth especially women.
The Central Wool Development Board (CWDB), Jodhpur, has sanctioned two short term training projects (of one year duration) each in favour of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh and Kargil districts, under which 40 trainees are trained in 4 batches of 3 months duration in each project for training in manufacturing of Woollen Handloom Products. Under this project, provision has also been made to provide looms/charkas to each trainee for self-employment generation with financial support of Rs 10,000 per set of loom/charka. An expenditure of Rs 6.27 lakh and Rs 19.81 lakh has been incurred in the year 2015-16 and 2016-17, respectively for these projects.
Further, in order to develop handloom products, including pashmina products, the government through the office of the development commissioner for handlooms has sanctioned four Block Level Clusters i.e. North Srinagar, Anchar, Safakadal and Ilahi Bagh in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and released an amount of Rs 1.68 crore as first instalment. Under Block Level Cluster, a component of National Handloom Development Programme, financial assistance is provided for setting up of Common Facility Centre/Dye House in clusters sanctioned in the country, including mountain states. Block Level Cluster approach was introduced in June 2015 and duration of its implementation is three years, added Tamta. (KD)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India