The Textiles Ministry is keen to utilise funds allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Scheme for skill development in the textiles sector by partnering with the industry in training the unemployed.
Textile Minister K. Sambasiva Rao will take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the next Cabinet meeting. Discussions with Rural Development Ministry that is responsible for implementing the rural employment scheme will also take place, Rao said talking to reporters at the release of a Texprocil study on Thursday.
Rao plans to channelise funds from the rural employment scheme to pay wages to unemployed workers who are imparted skills at training facilities belonging to the textile industry.
“I will convince the Rural Development Ministry. There is nothing wrong in it (the proposal). I am not deviating from the principle of helping the poor by providing employment to unemployed,” the Minister said.
We plan to provide employment, wages and also skills that would increase incomes from Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000-Rs 12,000, he added.
The textile industry is in favour of the idea as it would also result in an assured pool of prospective employees.
“We have facilities for providing skills to our employees. It can be used to train the unemployed if we get funds for the facilities under the National Skill Development Scheme and the unemployed are paid wages through the MGNREGA scheme. It is an excellent idea,” said Manikam Ramaswami, Chairman, Texprocil.