Centre studying silk import problems: Moily - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said here on Wednesday that the Centre is seriously considering giving import-related concessions to silk weavers. Briefing media after holding a meeting with Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran, along with a weavers delegation from Karnataka, Moily said: "The weavers specially small and middle level, who were earlier handloom owners, but they shifted to power loom. Due the international level agreements the silk weavers are finding it difficult to import silk from China." "But the Textile Minister (Maran) responded much more than the expectation of the delegation and assured that he is working on that issue.By the end of January 2010 his ministry would come up with a policy to import and distribute raw silk through the co-operative societies," he added. The delegation also comprising former Union Minister Ananth Kumar, Lok Sabha Members Vishwanath, Dhruvnarayan and weavers association representatives discussed various problems faced by power loom industry with Maran and senior Textile Ministry officials. The delegation also requested Maran to take back the reservation system in which the power looms are restricted from producing coloured silk fabrics. They also requested the Textile Minister to revise the custom duty on pure silk yarn to 15 percent from the existing 31.5 percent. They also requested to increase import duty especially on China silk. At present the import duty on silk is 15 percent. They also demanded to abolish the anti dumping duty on Chinese viscose filament yarn. The weaver's delegation also requested to exempt power loom industry from the purview of pollution control regulations.