Mysore/Mysuru: A mega silk cluster will soon be set up in 10 acres of land in Belavadi village, on the outskirts of Mysuru, at an approximate cost of Rs. 50 crore.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha yesterday held a meeting on the speedy implementation of the ambitious project at Vikasa Soudha along with Textile Minister Shankar Patil Munekoppa.

In a press release, the MP has stated that the first instalment of the money has been released and the project has been approved under the Comprehensive Powerloom Cluster Development Scheme (CPCDS) of the Centre.

“The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 49.19 crore and the Centre will contribute 60 percent of the funds (Rs. 29.51 crore) while the State will contribute 10 percent (Rs. 10 crore) and the remaining 20 percent of the funds (Rs. 9.68) will be raised through Special Purpose Vehicle,” the MP stated in the press release.

 The silk clusters in Mysuru will be one of the six silk clusters to be set up across the country under the revised National Handloom Development Programme. The move was mooted in the Union Budget 2014-15 and 10.12 acres of land has been identified to set up the cluster at Belawadi.

Once launched, it would be among the first of the five industry-specific clusters sanctioned for Mysuru. The Union Government has appointed the Karnataka State Textile Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (KSTIDCL) as cluster management and technical agency. 

Being a labour-intensive industry, the launch of the textile cluster is expected to help generate additional employment in the region, besides fuelling the local economy by spanning ancillary industries to support the cluster.

Mysuru and its surrounding regions are known for sericulture, and the famed Mysore Silk has been accorded the Geographic Indication tag in view of its uniqueness. Similarly, the area is renowned for cotton.

Though cultivated extensively in H.D. Kote region, the bulk of it is supplied to textile units in Tamil Nadu. But once the textile cluster takes shape, local farmers will have a market closer home which will be beneficial to them as it will obviate the need for transportation.