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India:Textile Mills closure cause concern |
2004-9-8
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Financial difficulties and labour problems are the common most problems cited for closure of textile mills.
Country''s second largest employer after the agriculture sector, the textile industry has seen an alarming rise of their closures. Mills have been downing their shutters at an average of one mill a week throughout the last five years.
Government statistics reveal that in July 1999 there were about 220 closed textile mills in the country, with the number soaring to 469 by July 2004.
During this five-year period, textile mills have continued to shut at the rate of 51 mills every year or roughly, one every week.
60 percent that is 273 of the total 469 mills closed down so far, have done so because of financial difficulties, according to the Textiles Committee. Another 67 mills have shut due to strikes and labour problems.
Closure has contributed to the rapid rise in unemployed textile workers during the period, with their numbers swelling by nearly 50 percent to 4.20 lakh mill hands.
The textile mills which downed their shutters belong to established houses including Bradbury Mills, Kohinoor Mills, Khatau Mills, Kamala Mills, Matulya Mills, Victoria Mills, Swan Mills, Mukesh Textile Mills, Shree Nivas Cotton Mills, Swadeshi Mills, Piramal Mills, Standard Industries, United India Mills and Western India. |
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