Nagpur: The state government’s Cooperation, Marketing and Textile Department has proposed to develop a textile university at Harpur on Umred Road in South Nagpur. If the plan materializes, it will be the nation’s first textile university, according to textiles secretary Atul Patne.The Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has been appointed as nodal agency for planning and construction of the university which is to be developed on the State Handloom Corporation’s two-acre land.The State Handloom Corporation own five acres of land. The administrative building of the corporation will come up on one acre and other related infra on the remaining two.The NIT board of trustees in the meeting held recently appointed Nela Designers of Harish Chandani as architect and project management consultant of the project.“A few courses related to textile are available in some colleges. But there is no dedicated university for textiles. We plan to invite an international institution running a textile or related university to set it up,” said Patne.As 80% of powerloom industries of the nation are situated in the state, a “textile university in Maharashtra will encourage the sector to a great extent”, according to Patne.Patne added that new sources of textile will be explored through the proposed university. “Non-conventional yarn is being produced from cotton at present. A high quality non-conventional yarn can be produced from Deccan bull, sheep, banana, bamboo etc. Courses related to these sources will be introduced in this university,” he said.The secretary also said courses related to powerloom, handloom, spinning mills, silk, hosiery etc will also be introduced in this industry. “Interested persons learn these skills by seeing the work of people in these fields. There is no courses available in ITI, polytechnic and engineering colleges to educate the students on these fields. All these will be provided in the Textile University. Also, we can develop new technologies in these fields,” he said.Patne said the textile university was part of the textile policy launched by the government. “Various other types of initiatives have been also taken under the textile policy,” he said.

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