Indian Textile Ministry issues draft of cotton trade bill

As per the draft available with fibre2fashion, every cotton ginning and pressing and processing factory or trader engaged in trade of cotton and manufacture of cotton yarn shall be required to register himself in a prescribed form with the Textile Commissioner within a period of three months of enactment of rules issued for inviting registration.

Failure to register will be punishable with a fine equivalent to Rs. 10,000/- per day for the period of processing trade or manufacture without registration or with imprisonment up to 2 years or both.

Every person having or on having established a cotton processing factory shall, subject to the provision of any Central or State law, for the time being in force, file an Information Memorandum in prescribed form to the Textile Commissioner.

The Information Memorandum shall be filed within 30 days of the installation of a new cotton processing factory and within 120 days from the date of publication of this Act in the official Gazette by an existing cotton processing factory to the Textile Commissioner.

Every person on having expanded the capacity of an existing cotton processing factory shall, subject to the provisions of any Central or State law for the time being in force, file an Information Memorandum in the prescribed form to the Textile Commissioner within 30 days  of such expansion.

In case of non-compliance of the sub-sections 1 to 4 of this Section, the owner or occupier of such cotton processing factories shall be punishable with a fine of Rs. 5,000/- for each day of default.

Every person having cotton pressing factory or a cotton ginning & pressing factory shall submit an application in the prescribed form to the Textile Commissioner for obtaining a fresh Press Mark Number, within 60 days from the date of publication of this Act in the official gazette.

On being satisfied that the application is complete in all respects, the Textile Commissioner shall allot a Press Mark Number within 60 days from the date of receipt of the application complete in all respects.

The old press mark number allotted by the concerned State Government under the Ginning & Pressing Act, 1925 now repealed, shall be deemed to be valid for the purpose of this Act, and shall remain in force until the new Press Mark is allotted to the cotton pressing factory or the cotton ginning & pressing factory by the Textile Commissioner or one year from the date of publication of this Act in the Official Gazette, whichever is earlier.

Click here to view and download draft of Cotton Trade (Development & Regulation) bill.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India