The Union Ministry of Textiles recentlylaunched five Common Facility Centres for small jute handicrafts units in West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. Union Minister of State for Textiles, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, said three such centres have been set up in West Bengal and one each in Assam and Bihar.

The centres would run under a Ministry-designed Rs. 10-crore scheme, which involves financial, training, inputs and marketing assistance to women-driven self-help groups.

Under the first phase, of the scheme in West Bengal support several tiny SHGs.

The groups have been clustered in three districts at block levels, formed under National rural Livelihood Mission.

Each cluster would have one internet-connected centre. All assistance including training and designing would be delivered through the centres. The Ministry’s initiative has also been linked to the National Institute of Design.

The centres aim to install facilities for dyeing and bleaching, CAD and CAM equipment, lamination tools, handlooms, power looms, sewing and embroidery machines for design prototype and sample development.

Sanjay Panda, Textiles Secretary, said jute product exporting firms could adopt some of the clusters.

Meanwhile, the Minister said his ministry was looking for wider use of new jute items such as geo textiles in railway and highway projects. In a Rs. 27-crore road project in the North East, the geo-textiles was being introduced.

The Ministry is also trying to find buyers for a technology, developed by IIT Kharagpur, to produce jute fibre based diapers and gender hygiene products.

The Minister also laid foundation stone for Rs. 70 crore nine-storeyed building in Kolkata. The building, to be constructed by National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd, will house the office of the Jute Commissioner, the National Jute Manufactures Corporation, the Jute Corporation of India and the National Jute Board. The building is expected to be completed in the next two years.