Mega Silk Cluster in Belavadi Village, Mysuru

It will be one of the six silk clusters to be set up across the  country under the revised National Handloom Development Programme.

The Union government has appointed the Karnataka State Textile  Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (KSTIDCL) as cluster  management and technical agency. Efforts are on to register a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the implementation and funding of the  silk cluster.

G Thippesh, Chairman, KSTIDCL and G P Srinivasmurthy, Managing  Director, said that twisting, yarn dying, warping, fabric dying and printing, and calendaring were among many functions that would be provided at the cluster. They said that 25 silk traders had been identified and each one of them has agreed to invest around 40
lakh in the cluster.
A detailed project report for the cluster is being prepared with the  assistance of Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka Limited (IDECK). Roads, drainage systems, water, power and solid waste management systems, a training hall, a bank and an ATM would be set up, Mr Srinivasmurthy said. He added that the project may
come up in another eight months. He further said that the proposed silk cluster, being a labour-intensive industry, would open up a huge employment opportunities besides fuelling local economy by spanning ancillary
industries.

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. It is proposed to name the cluster Mysore Sri Chamundeshwari mega silk cluster.
The mega silk cluster project, made up of weaving units engaged in the  manufacture of finished silk products, is expected to take off soon with the authorities planning to register a SPV comprising interested entrepreneurs
before the end of the month.

The purpose of the mega silk cluster is to create a common facility for silk weaving and processing, which will not only by used by entrepreneurs, but will also be run by the SPV made up of entrepreneurs. The facility can
be used by SPV members and other weavers of the region on user-charge basis. It is based on the guidelines of the comprehensive powerloom cluster development scheme of the Government of India. The common facility proposed to be created at the cluster includes silk-twisting, fabric dying, common effluent treatment plant, among others. Saris, fabrics, and other finished products made out of silk will be produced at the cluster in Belawadi, which also
houses the 87-year-old Weaving and Printing factory of the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC).