More NIFT centres to be set up

GANDHINAGAR, June 28: Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana said more and more centres of the National Institute of Fashion Technology NI...

GANDHINAGAR, June 28: Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana said more and more centres of the National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT would be set up countrywide to give a boost to the fashion and garment industry. There are now six NIFT centres existing in the country.

After performing the Bhoomi Poojan for the proposed Rs 5 crore NIFT campus in Gandhinagar on Monday, Rana said there was tremendous scope in the country, particularly in Gujarat, for the garment industry. The country earns foreign exchange of over Rs 24,000 crore through garment export.

Rana said NIFT8217;s Gandhinagar centre could play a vital role in promoting the fashion and garment industry in Gujarat, which accounts for 70 per cent of the fabric manufactured in the country.

8220;This is one of the main reasons why we have opened a NIFT8217;s branch in Surat,8221; he added.

Addressing the function, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel said his government would extend all possible help to the NIFT management. 8220;That the government is all for encouraging the NIFT activities is evident from its decision to allot free-of-cost the three acres of prime land in Sector 12 for the campus,8221; he said.

Patel said the government would extend the five-year period 1995-2000 of providing special grant to NIFT, Gandhinagar. The government would even amend, if necessary, its present incentive policy to promote the fashion design and garment industry.

State Industries Minister Suresh Mehta said since the garment industry was proving to be an employment-generation sector, the government8217;s efforts would be to restore the textile monopoly of the state. NIFT director-general L.V. Saptarishi said that since the textile industry in the state was facing an unprecedented crisis, the government should encourage the garment and handloom industry.

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The chief minister8217;s principal secretary, P.K. Laheri, said the new NIFT complex would have a huge training centre, a hostel for students, and accommodation for the faculty members8217; families. Besides, it would have a well-equipped reference library, computer section, and research centre.

After the function, S.D. Swaminarayan, NIFT registrar, told newsmen that three new courses, including a one-year course in computer-aided design for fashion industry CADFI, would be introduced at NIFT, Gandhinagar this year.

He said the two new certificate courses being introduced were in garment production technology and fashion design nine months and in garment production technology one year. NIFT, Gandhinagar had also organised successfully a one month vacation course last year for women workers of closed textile units, Swaminarayan said.