Value Addition in Pashmina Products

New Delhi: Ministry of Textiles is implementing two schemes under 12^th Five Year Plan programme, namely, (i) Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) and (ii) Pashmina Wool Development Scheme (PWDS) in Leh and Kargil in Ladakh region of the state of Jammu & Kashmir.  For value addition of Pashmina products in Leh, following components have been taken under above mentioned schemes:

1. i)   Installation of new Pashmina Dehairing Plant at Leh with the following objectives:

• To increase the Dehairing capacity and improve Dehairing quality
• Better value addition through latest technology dehairing machine
• To increase the Pashmina procurement and ensure better returns to Pashmina breeders

1. ii) Value addition of pashmina wool through spinning and weaving by distribution of Handloom and spinning wheel (charkha) with the following objectives: 

• Introduction of processing facility of Pashmina wool after Dehairing process.
• Value addition of Pashmina wool in Leh itself/ locally
• Increase the income of Pashmina breeders with primary spinning facility
• Creation of employment opportunity to 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 of India through the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms has sanctioned four Block Level Clusters i.e. (i) North Srinagar, (ii) Anchar, (iii) Safakadal and (iv) Ilahi Bagh in 2015-16 and 2016-17 (till date) and released an amount of Rs.1.68 crore as first installment.  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.

A statement showing the details of financial assistance provided to various States for development of block level cluster during the year 2015-16 and the current year is as under:

The above information was given by the Minister of State, Textiles, Shri Ajay Tamta today, in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.