CHAPTER -VII IMPACT OF INDUSTRIES ON THE LIFE...
Transcript of CHAPTER -VII IMPACT OF INDUSTRIES ON THE LIFE...
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CHAPTER -VII
IMPACT OF INDUSTRIES ON THE LIFE AND CULTURE
OF THE PEOPLE
The Industrial growth of a district is conditioned by natural resources,
infrastructural facilities, transport and technical know - how. The extent to which
the above has helped building up industries in the district of Thirunelveli and their
impact on the life and culture of the people is vividly discussed here.
Cement, cotton yarn and textiles:
The foremost of such large industries in the district is the M/s. India
Cements Limited, which has two cement plants at Sankar Nagar and
Thazhaiyuthu. There are thirteen textile mills engaged in the production of yarn.
The first spinning mill under cooperative sector was established in the district in
1958 at Pettai near Tirunelveli.1 Most of the other textile mills are situated in
Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli and Nanguneri taluks.
India Cements Limited, sankarnagar is one of the oldest cement plants in
Tamil Nadu under private sector. It is a large scale industry which started its
commercial production in August 1949 with a capacity of about 4.00 lakh tons per
annum and steadily increased the capacity over the years to 10.00 lakh tons per
1. Census of India 1961, District Census Hand Book, Tirunelveli, 1965, p.47.
239
annum cement by 1990-91.2 The plant is located at Thazhaiyuthu, eight km. away
from Tirunelveli town on the Madurai road. At the time of inception, the plant
manufactured cement under wet process only with initial capacity of 350 tons per
day. Products such as ordinary Portland cement and Portland Pozzonona cement
were manufactured.3
The company has embarked on modernisation of its plant with a capacity of
3000 TPD at a cost of Rs.106 crore by which the old wet kilns and the
preclinkerising facilities were replaced by a modern practitioner kiln and
preclinkerising facilities with a computerised control. The Dry plant commenced
its production from July 1990.4 The industry requires 4500 tons of limestone per
day, supplied by the limestone mines located at Thazhaiyuthu, Nanjankulam
limestone mine, Sethurayanpudur Sellianallur, Valliyoor, Vijayapathy
Kudankulam and a sizeable quantity of lime is also purchased from private parties
M/s. Krishna Mines M/s. South India Mines and Minerals Limited About 2000
employees are employed both in factory and mines.5 The plant provides
employment to 1382 and about 607 persons are employed in mines. India
Cements General Employees‟ Union and Cement Manufacturers‟ Association
have been formed in the industry.
2. K.S.K. Velmani, op.cit., p.542.
3. Ibid.,
4. www.indiacements.com
5. Ibid.,
240
Limestone received from different quarries, crushed in the Hammer Mill
and taken through a number of belt conveyors to a linear stockyard. From here
limestone is reclaimed using bridge type reclaimer and taken to mixed limestone
hopper. There are four different hoppers, one for mixed limestone, the second one
for high grade lime stone the third one for Blue dust and Bauxite and the fourth
one for clay. The raw materials proportionately mixed and conveyed to a Polysius
Vertical Roller Mill and ground between the two roller pairs and a grinding table.
The ground material is dried and lifted by kiln exit gases through nozzle ring and
carried to the Dynamic separator. Then it is classified into finished product and
oversize. Oversize material falls directly on the centre of the Grinding Table. The
finished product is separated in an Electostatic Precipitator (ESP). From there it is
pumped into extracted through the Central Chamber of the silo of the 5-Stage
Preheater. The raw meal is calcined to 90 per cent using pulverised coal in the
Precalcinator. The calcined material enters the kiln and clinkerisation is taking
place in the burning zone at a temperature of 1450° C using pulverised coal in the
kiln. The hot clinker is cooled in the Grate Cooler.6 The cooled clinker is taken
through Deep Bucket Conveyor to Clinker silo. From Clinker silo it is discharged
to Rubber Belt Conveyor, gypsum and carried to cement mills. In Cement Mills
clinker, gypsum and flyash are mixed and ground to get Portland Pozzolana
Cement and only with gypsum for Ordinary Portland Cement.
6. Personal Interview with Nanthakumar, Vice-President, India cements, Sankar Nagar, dated 05
June, 2006.
241
The company introduced many welfare schemes for the benefit of its
employees and their families and the expenditure towards employees welfare was
Rs.3.60 crores per annum for both statutory and non-statutory welfare measures.
Welfare measures include housing, medical, recreation club, typewriting and
shorthand institute for the benefit of employees‟ children tailoring institute,
appalam unit, Kalyana mandapam, family planning etc. Company employees
were being covered under Janatha Insurance policy and Group Insurance Scheme.
The company paid the premium of Rs.20000/- per year under Janatha Insurance
policy. Death benefit was covered. The employees drawing above Rs.1000/- p.m.
were covered under Group Insurance scheme. The premium was paid by the
company. Death/Injury benefits were covered. The employees drawing above
Rs.1000/- p.m. were covered under Group Insurance scheme. The premium was
paid by the company. Death/Injury benefits were covered. Primary and higher
secondary schools and polytechnic were run by the Management. There was a
cooperative store maintained both by the employees and management. Provisions,
cosmetic, textiles etc., were supplied at reasonable prices. The main store was
functioning in the old colony and its branches were located in the New colony,
Talaiyuthu and Vadakku Talaiyuthu. A cooperative thrift and credit society was
functioning for the benefit of the workers from 11 November 1968.7
7. K.S.K. Velmani, op.cit., p.544.
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The family of a worker who died during the service was paid a sum of
Rs.10000/-.8 A sum of Rs.1000/- was paid every month to the family member for
10 years or till the date of retirement of the deceased employee whichever was
earlier. A sum of Rs.1/- was collected from all the employees and Management
made equal contribution and the total amount was paid to the deceased family
members.9
Before the establishment of Cement Industries in the district there were
only hand-loom and weaving industries. The crisis faced by the hand-loom
industry during the early 50‟s made to the Governments, both the Centre as well as
the State, come forward to ease the situation. The Government of India on their
part established10 The All India Handloom Development Cess Fund which made
all mill made cloth to attract cess. The State Government for their share
established “The Tamil Nadu Handloom and Textiles Department” and “The
Tamil Nadu Handloom Development Corporation”. The co-operatives also were
involved in the handloom industry which helped in obtaining supply of yarns and
setting up of looms.11 They were also engaged themselves in the purchase of the
finished products and market them. Many co-optex centres and their sales
emporia in Tirunelvely District were established.
8. Personal Interview with Ravindran, Assistant Manager, India Cement, Sankar Nagar, dated 10
September, 2006. 9. Personal Interview with Vijaya Sekar, Assistant General Manager, India Cement, Sankar
Nagar, dated 17 October, 2005. 10
. B.S. Baliga, History of Handloom Industry in Madras, 1960, p.47. 11
. Ibid.,
243
In 1888 The Coral Mill of Tuticorin was started. This Mill of Tuticorin has
greatly increased in size since it first started and accommodated 73,560 spindles
giving employment to 2000 hands. The Koilpatti Mill was started in the year
1913. There were thirteen power-driven factories in the district owned and
worked by large European exporting firms and mill owners.12 These factories
ginned the greater part of the cotton produced in the district besides kuppes (seed
cotton) imported from other districts. From this time conditions changed rapidly
and small ginners of from 2 to 8 or 10 gins are now found in the villages all over
the cotton growing tracts in the districts.13 This deal with a large proportion of the
cotton produced forced many of the larger factories either to close down or greatly
reduce their machinery. The large exporting firms greatly contributed to the
development of the small village ginners by subsidising in some form, the owners
of these small factories in return for ginning facilities.
The Sun Paper Mill Limited, a private sector company was established on
11 June 1961 a medium scale paper industry at Vadakku Ariyanayakipuram near
Cheranmadevi about 20km. from Tirunelveli and 675 km. from Chennai, in the
year 1964 with a capital investment of Rs.35.12 lakhs. The investment increased
to Rs.910.61 lakh in 1993.14 Newsprint paper is the main product manufacture in
the industry. The industry has an installed capacity of 15000 tonnes per annum
12
. H.R. Pate, Supplement to the Tinnevelly District, Gazetteer, Vol. II, Madras 1917, p.196. 13
. Ibid., 14
. Sun Paper Mill Limited, Magazine, dated 23 June, 1998.
244
and the actual production capacity is 22000 tonnes. During the year 1992.93, the
industry produced finished products to a quantity of 19445 tons.15
The mill procures raw materials such as local country wood (Odai maram)
from various parts of the Tirunelveli, Thoothukkudi and Ramanathapuram
districts, hoisery rags from Tirupur, waste paper from various towns in Tamil
Nadu and Kerala, soft wood pulp imported from U.S.A., Canada, Sweden etc.
Further non-fibre raw materials such as roshin from Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir,
Aluminium sulphate from Ranipet and Mettupalayam, soapstone powder from
Salem, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, starches from Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka, dyes from Chennai, sodium silicate from Madurai and Tanjore, sodium
sulphite from Gujarat and Chennai, sodium hydroxide lye and chlorine from
Chennai and Gujarat, Soda ash from Thoothukkudi husk and furnace oil from
Tamil Nadu are purchased for manufacturing paper. During 1993, about 705
workers were employed in the paper mill.16 There are two workers unions namely
Sun Paper Mill Employees Union and Sun Paper Mill Anna Tholilalar Sangam in
the Industry.
Odai17 wood, the primary raw material is chippered into small pieces and
softened with steam and chemicals and refined in heavy duty machines. The pulp
so obtained is admixtured with rag pulp, imported soft wood pulp and slushed
15
. Ibid., 16
. Ibid., 17
. The Botanical name of „odai‟ is „Prosopis Spicigera Linn.
245
waste paper pulp in definite proportions and chemicals and additives are added in
correct quantities to impart strength to the paper. Dyes are added to get proper
shade. This pulp is run on paper machine. In the paper machine dilute pulp slurry
is first dewatered in wire section, then pressed between rollers and wet felt and
finally dried in steam treated dryers. The dried paper is calendered to impart
smooth finish to paper and wound on reeler. Finally the wound paper is rewound
to sizes required by the customer.
The sugar refinery was started in about 1912 at Kulasekherapatanam by the
East India Distilleries Company.18 The produce of the factory which was of two
kinds, soft white sugar and white crystal sugar, was shipped to Tuticorin and from
thence to other parts of Southern India. The crystal sugar was also largely used in
the manufacture of candy.
A highly favourable wind for the six months during South West monsoon
through Shencottai pass which covers 40km. width between North to South and 60
to 70 km. length West to East is a good source of power. Similarly there is a
moderate wind during North-East monsoon (i.e. December, January and
February). It covers the area from Ayakudi in Tenkasi taluk to Ottapidaram in
Thoothukkudi district from West to East. Wind Monitoring stations, have been
installed at Ayakudi, Naduvakurichi, Nettur, Alagiapandiapuram, Thazhaiyuthu
and Marugan Kurichi in the district. All the wind monitoring stations record the
18
. H.R. Pate, op.cit., Vol.II, p. 200.
246
annual average wind velocity more than 20 km/hr. which is required to establish
wind farms. A windmill by name ELGI, Tread India Limited, was established in
1993 at Devarkulam at a cost of Rs.3.5 crore/Megawatt consisting of 28 numbers
with the capacity of 250 kw.19 The total installed capacity is seven Megawatt. The
five MW units were commissioned on 30 September 1993 and the balance two
MW were commissioned during October - November 1993. The total installed
capacity is 19.355 MW under Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and 27.990 MW
under private sector and the units generated are 117 MV by Tamil Nadu
Electricity Board and 40 MV under private sector.20 The non-conventional energy
sources supply uninterrupted power to the areas where WEGs are installed and
they paved way for springing up of new industrial units.
There was a revival of hand-spinning during 1920-21 and for a short time
afterwards as a result of Gandhi‟s propaganda for Khadar, but with the waning of
the enthusiasm for homespum cloth, weaving of Khadar has declined and
practically died out. There were at one time about 300 Adi-Dravida women
spinners in Tisayanvilai, but as there was no market for their yarn, they had to give
up the work.21 But at the commencement of 1930, some three years after the
amalgamation of the Tinnevelly Mills Company Limited, with the Madura Mills
Company Limited, a further extension was carried out and the total number of
19
. Service Number Book, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Tirunelveli, p.1. 20
. Ibid., 21
. B.S Baliga, Compendium on History of Handloom Industry in Madras, Government Press, Madras, 1960, p.1
247
spindles at work in the two factories - now employing 1,7000 workers was
increased to sixty thousand. Further developments on a very considerable scale
took place in April 1932.22 In that year this mill intended to house 100,000
spindles. This new mill would eventually provide employment for 3,000
workers.23
The fibre from the upper concave portion of the stem of the palmyra is used
in caning cots, chairs and easy chairs, the same splits being used for the warp and
the woof. Tuticorin is the collecting depot to which palmyra fibres manufactured
in Tinnevelly were sent for export. On an average about 750 tons of bifre are
exported in a month.24 The workers in Tinnevelly are Shavers, Kanner, Konar and
Mohammadan women in several villages of Trichendur and Nanguneri taluks.
They take their produce to Tisaiyanvillai and Udangudi shandies for sale to
collecting agents.
Coarse mats of smaller size are in demand in Calicut for packing fish while
the bigger ones are exported to Bombay. Local merchants collect the mats
themselves from the houses of the workers. The women, mostly Nadars, earn
about 18 paise (3 annes) in two days by weaving mats. Korai mats are also made
in Viravanallur, Viswanathaperi and Palayamkottai and Pettai and
Harikesavanallur are the centres in which mats woven in the other centres are
22
. Ibid., 23
. Ibid., 24
. Assistant Director, Khadi and Village Industries, Tirunelveli Report, dated 17 March, 2006.
248
largely collected for export.25 The industry is the primary occupation of several
thousands of Mohammadans. The Madras market gets a good part of its supply of
mats from this district.
The pressing of oil from gingelly seeds is done on a large scale in Pettai,
Kallidaikurichi, Cheranmahadevi and Tenkasi, Pettai alone has 60 mills (Chekkus)
engaged in the work.26 The local gingelly crop being insufficient, a few merchants
in Pettai import large quantities of the seed from outside the district. Sell the oil
locally or to the merchants themselves for export.
Saris of pure silk both in woof and weft are woven only in Viravanallur by
about 50 Pattunulkarans for less costly saries, cotton yarn is used in the weft. They
get their silk from Kumbakonam and are said to earn a profit of Rs.8 over each
silk sari, including wages.27
Every village with a fair number of Muhammadon families has now a small
factory where beedies are made. It is a cheap smoke in great demand among the
lower classes. The main workers are the women. There are two varieties of beedi.
In Melapalayam about 5,000 Muhammadan families carry on this industry and all
the women folk are engaged in this.28 Palayamkottai, Tinnevelly and Mukkadal in
25
. K.S.K. Velmani, op.cit., p.526. 26
. Ibid., p.528. 27
. H.R. Pate, op.cit., Vol.I, p.217. 28
. Personal Interview with M. Seyad Mohaideen, Assistant Manager, Seyadu Beedi Company, dated 20 June, 2006.
249
Ambasamudram taluk are other important centres. Panagudi is also noted for
several beedi companies.
Among the brass-workers are now found Mohammadans and maravas.
Sankarankoil is noted for its Kudams or waterpots and Pettai and other centres for
these and for ordinary pots and embossed mouthed vessels called Kopras.29
There was a match factory at Tisaiyanvilai. The proprietor, a local
merchant, got his wood from Malabar.30 There is now no place in the district
where this industry is carried on.
Of the baskets made of palmyra leaves and ribs, those popularly known as
Onion baskets were once made only by Muhammadan women, but now Adi-
Dravida and Shananor women also weave them, all along the cocastal villages.
These are collectted and exported to Colombo. Parava women in about 2000
houses in Mavapad make fancy baskets, boxes with square bottoms and circular
mouths, besides toys out of tender palmyra leaves. The chief variety of these
baskets is called Pilapotti.31 They are much in demand in Ceylon. These Pilapottis
are collected in Udangudi and sent to Colombo.32
29
. Secretary, Sankarankoil Brass-Workers, Co-operative Society Limited, Report, dated 20
February, 1995. 30
. H.R. Pate, op.cit., Vol.II, p.202. 31
. Ibid., p.201. 32
. V.S. Padmanabhan, op.cit., p.19.
250
Some dyeing is carried on in Melapalayam and Kilaviraraghavapuram.
There are seven dye-houses, and a few individual weavers dye their yarn
themselves. The dyes used are mostly imported ones, and the chief colours in use
are orange, black, yellow, dark-red, blue-green and blue-black, but of these scarlet
and blue-black are fast. The dyeers keep their formulae secret33. In several
missionary institutions in the district, especially at Vadakkankulam, Idayankudi
and Tuticorin the boarders and girl students are taught lace-making and
embroidery34. Pillow lace made in them was in great demand in Europe before the
war, the industry has been replaced by embroidery and drawn thread work for
which there is now some demand. In the Holy Gross convent at Tuticorin, the girl
students are taught dress-making and needle work.
Taking note of the performance of the industries and the incentives which
are considued necessary for their promotion, the Government stepped in and as a
result, a few public sector enterprises came into the seene for implementing these
policies of the government. These arrangements of the government also helped to
ease out the middlemen and thereby the stronghold of the affluent people over
these industries. The Industrial Policy Resolution 1948 emphasised the role of the
Cottage and Small-Scale Industries in the national economy offering as they do
scope for individual, village or co-operative enterprise and means for the
33
.Personal Interview with A. Mariappan Special Officer, 0846 Melapalayam, Weavers
Co-operative Production and Sales Society, Melapalayam, dated 7-3-2006. 34
. H.R. Pate, op.cit., Vol.-II, p.199.
251
rehabilitation of displaced persons35. These industries particularly suited for the
better utilization of local resources and for the achievement of the local self-
sufficiency in respect of certain types of essential consumer goods, like food and
clothing and agricultural implements. The healthy expansion of Cottage and
Small-Scale Industries depended upon a number of factors, viz. provision of raw
materials, cheap power, technical advice, organized marketing of their produce
and where necessary, safe-guards against intensive competition by large scale
manufacture. The Resolution of Industries Conference has requested the Central
Government to investigate how far and in what manner these industries could be
co-ordinated and integrated with large-scale industries.
The Government of India accepted the recommendations of the conference
and examined how the textile mills could be made complementary to the
handloom industry, which was the country‟s largest and the best-organized cottage
industry. In certain other lines of production, like agricultural implements, textile
accessories, and parts of machine tools, the possibilities was explored to produce
components in a cottage industry and assemble these into their final product at the
factory. It was also to be investigated as to how highly centralized industries
could be centralized with advantage. The Industries Conference also
recommended that Government should establish a Cottage Industries Board for the
fostering the Small-Scale Industries. The Government of India accepting this
35
. Management Researcher, Journal, Vol. XIV, No.4, April-June-2008, p.70.
252
recommendation proposed to create a Cottage and Small-Scale Industries
Directorate within the Directorate General of Industries and Supplies.
The Industrial Policy 1956, stressed the role of Cottage, Village and Small-
Scale Industries in the development of the national economy.36 These provide
immediate large-scale employment and offer a method of ensuring a more
equitable distribution of the national income and facilitated an effective
mobilization of resources-capital and skill, which might otherwise remain
unutilized.
The State of Madras has been following a policy of supporting Cottage,
Village and Small-Scale Industries by restricting the volume of production in the
large-scale sector through taxation or direct subsidies. This continued in the state
policy, which aimed at, ensuring the decentralized sector to acquire sufficient
vitality to be self-supporting and integrating its development with that of large-
scale industry. The state, therefore, concentrated on measures designed to
improve the competitive strength of the small-scale producers, which required
constant improvement in technology to be adopted avoiding, as far as possible,
technological unemployment. Lack of technical and financial assistance and
suitable working accommodation and inadequacy of facilities for repair and
maintenance had been indentified as the serious handicaps of small-scale
producers. A start was made with the establishment of industrial estates and rural
36
. Ibid.,
253
community workshops on the districts to make good these deficiencies. The
extension of rural electrification, and availability of power at prices, which the
workers could afford, had also been of considerable help.37
The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 also enunciated that the heavy
industries in public sector might obtain some of their requirements of the lighter
components from private sector, while the private sector, in turn, would rely for
many of its needs in the public sector and the same principle to apply with even
greater force to the relationship between large-scale and small-scale industries.38
The main trust of the new Industrial Policy 1977 had been on effective
promotion of cottage and small-scale industries widely dispersed in the district.39
It had been the policy of the Government that whatever could be produced by
small-scale and cottage industries must only be so produced. For this purpose an
exhaustive analysis of industrial products, had been made to identify items, which
could be produced in the small-scale sector. This list of industries, which would
be exclusively reserved for the small-scale sector, had been significantly expanded
to include more than 500 items as compared to about 180 items earlier. The list
was to be continually reviewed so that capacity creation did not lag behind the
requirements of the economy.40
37
. http://www.smallindustryindia.com/policies/iiphtm 38
. Ibid., 39
. C. Suryanarayana, V. Krishnamohan, Small Industry Development in India, New Delhi, 2005
p.3. 40
. J. Satyanarayana, The New Industrial Policy and Its Impact on India’s Industrial Economy,
254
The policy measure for the promotion of small-scale industries of the
district included effective financial and marketing support. In order to provide
effective financial support for promotion of small-scale industries and cottage and
village industries, the Industrial Development Bank of India had taken steps to set
up a separate wing to deal exclusively with the credit requirements of this sector.41
It was to coordinate, guide and monitor the entire range of credit facilities offered
by other institutions for the small and cottage sector. Banks were also expected to
earmark a specified proportion of their total advances for promotion of small
village and cottage industries in the district.
Similarly, growth of the small-scale and cottage industries sector had been
trend mainly for want of satisfactory marketing arrangement for their products.
For this, certain measures, such as purchase, preference and reservation for
exclusive purchase by government departments and public sector undertakings had
been adopted to support the marketing of their products.
In each, district only one agency called the District Industries Centre has
been set up to deal with all the requirements of small and village industries. These
include economic investigation of the district‟s raw material and other resources,
supply of machinery and equipment, provision of raw materials, arrangement for
credit facilities, and effective set-up of marketing and sale for quality control,
research and extension. The centre was expected to establish close linkage with
Hyderabad, 1996, p.55. 41
. Ibid.,
255
the development block on the one hand and with specialized institutions, like
Small Industries Service Institutes, on the other. It was the intention of the
Government to extend its important organizational pattern to the entire district
soon. The financial assistance given to small and cottage industries under the
Rural Industries Programme was to be extended to the entire district in the
country.
As per the Industrial Policy 1980, in order to boost the development of
Small-Scale Industries and to ensure their rapid growth, the Government decided
to increase the limit of investment in the case of small-scale units from Rs.10 lac
to Rs.20 lac, that in the case of tiny units from Rs.1 lac to Rs.2 lac, and that in case
of ancillaries from Rs.15 lac to Rs.25 lac.42
This would eliminate the tendency to circumvent the present limit by
understating the value of machinery and equipment, falsification of accounts or
resort to „benami‟ units. The enhancement of the limit in terms of investment in
plants and machinery had been expected to help the genuine small-scale units
particularly, those being set up by young and technically qualified entrepreneurs,
to come up and to facilitate long over-due modernization of many of the existing
small-scale units.
42
. S. Krishnamurthy, Small Scale Industries : Policy Rules and Regulations, New Delhi, 2002, p.25.
256
For financial support to small scale units the government purposed to
strengthen the existing arrangements and made such changes as might be
necessary to facilitate the availability of credit to the growing units in the small-
scale sector. Besides, it also continued the reservation of items for small-scale
industries continued to be in force for the growth of small-scale industries. The
government also created buffer stocks for critical inputs, which were often
difficult to obtain. For this, the small industries development corporations in the
center were to be utilized. One such center was established at Pettai near
Tirunelveli.43
The Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation Limited an undertaking of
the Government of Tamil Nadu, established its furniture and engineering works at
Pettai near Tirunelveli in the year 1961. It commenced its production on 26
January 1961. It is engaged in the manufacture of standard items of furniture
required by Government Departments, public institutions, etc. The engineering
division undertakes manufacture of general engineering and light fabricated
items44.
Nellai Small Scale Industries Association popularly known as „NEISTIA‟
was started in 1979. The object of the association is to represent the problems
43
. Ibid., 44
. Deputy Manager (Casting) Tamilnadu Small Industries Corporation Limited, Madras, Report dated 14 November, 1995.
257
faced by the small industries to the authorities, to conduct seminars regarding
investment pattern, technology transfer, exports, imports etc.
State Industries Promotion Co-operation of Tamilnadu Limited, (SIPCOT) :
SIPCOT, a public limited company wholly owned by the Government of
Tamilnadu is playing a prominent role in the promotion and development of
medium and major industries in the district. Thirunelveli district is an industrially
developing industry in Tamilnadu.
SIPCOT extends Terms loan to new medium and large scale units whose
project cost is below Rs.3 crore and existing medium and large scale units
embarking on expension diversification / modernisation involving project cost not
exceeding Rs. 5 lakhs.45
SIPCOT effers loan up to Rs.9 lakhs. New units set up in Thirunelveli
District are eligible for concessional finance. So far two units in Thirunelveli
District are assisted by Sipcot.
It is well understood that the major industries of this District are cement
Industry, Textile Industry, Paper Mill, Wind Mill, Sugar Mill. Apart from the
major industries a number of small scale industries like Beedi Companies, Pottery
making, Model Carpentry workshop, Mate weaving, Handlooms, Brick Works,
45
. Manager, State Industries Promotion of Tamil Nadu Ltd., Chennai, Report dated 6 December
1993, and District Industries Centre, Tirunelveli district, Action Plan from 1992-93 to 1996-97, p.5.
258
and Cane Furniture manufacture are flourishing in different villages of this
district.
As per the records available major industries provided employment
opportunities to the people of this district. The sincerity the involvement of the
hard work and the labourers clearly by show their involvement in the work and
the increase of the production of the industries. The products of the above said
industries were sent to different countries by which the economy of the country
could be increased remarkably. The quality of the product of these industries has
enhanced the price, though not highly attractive to the consumers of the other
countries.
Like the major industries the small scale industry and Beedi companies,
Pottery making, Model Carpentry Work shop, Mat weaving, Handlooms, Brick
works cane furniture manufacture. Provided different types of work to the
economically poor people belonging to the various communities of the District.
Madurai, July 2 (PTI): The Rs 14,000-crore Special Economic Zone at
Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu could take off any time as the
minimum required land for the project has been acquired.
With Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department
handing over the final 166.80 hectares of temple land for the SEZ, acquisition of
1,000 hectares of land has been completed, official sources here said.
259
The project was proposed by NDA government headed by A B Vajpayee.
The officials of the Advanced Technology Manufacturing and Assembly
City (ATMAC), formed by US-based INFAC Management Corporation for
executing the project, would meet the District Collector G Prakash shortly, the
sources said.
The SEZ would have manufacturing, design and assembling facilities.
Modern infrastructure facilities and amenities are expected to attract workforce
from across the globe.
Makers of electronic and telecommunications components, pharmaceutical
goods, light and precision engineering items and information technology
companies are expected to set up units in the SEZ.
The Tamil Nadu government would allocate Rs 700 crore for creating
infrastructure facilities. Besides, there would be water treatment plant,
telecommunication centre along with roads of international standards.
According to sources, Singapore-based Jurong International has submitted
a conceptual master plan, according to which industrial zone would include ready-
built and custom-built factories and units of multinational corporations.
As they generally suffered in the beginning due to non availability of the
any work in this district, these small scale industries gave them permanent job
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which helped them to increase their daily income. They could also use their spare
time in engaging in different types of work. Through their daily income was not
very high they were very well satisfied with their work. On the whole the people
who were working in the major and small scale industries, are satisfied themselves
in all respects and they feel that they are the part and parcel of the present
condition of the district.