Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry: Key Features

The Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry has four components –

• Research & Development (R&D), Training, Transfer of Technology and IT Initiatives
• Seed Organizations and farmers extension centres
• Coordination and Market Development for seed, yarn and silk products and
• Quality Certification System (QCS) by creating amongst others a chain of Silk Testing facilities, Farm based & post-cocoon Technology Up-gradation, and Export Brand Promotion.

Salient features of the scheme

• The scheme will benefit 85 lakh people in the silk sector.
• It will provide livelihood opportunities for women, those belonging to SCs and STs, and other weaker sections of the society across the country, including those from Left-Wing Extremism affected areas and North Eastern Region.
• Silk farmers, seed producers and chawki rearers will be brought under Direct Benefit Transfer, with Aadhaar linkage.
• A helpline will be set up for timely redressal of grievances & outreach programmes will be undertaken.
• Registration process & reporting by seed production centres, basic seed farms and extension centre will be automated through web-based software.
• Support to be given to Private graineurs to produce quality seed, Chawki Rearing Centres with incubation facilities, to produce and supply chawki worms, Adopted seed-rearers to generate quality seed cocoons.
• Cold storage will be set up, which will also provide mobile disinfection units and equipment support for mechanization.
• Automatic reeling machine for mulberry, improved reeling/spinning machineries and Buniyaad Reeling machines for Vanya silk under Make in India program will be disseminated to produce quality silk.

Expected outcomes

The scheme is expected to increase the silk production from the level of 30348 MTs during 2016-17 to 38500 MTs by end of 2019-20 with the following interventions:

• Production of import substitute bivoltine silk to the tune of 8500 MTs per annum by 2020.
• Research & Development to improve productivity from the present level of 100 Kgs to 111 kgs of silk per ha. of plantation by the end of 2019-20.
• Large scale propagation of improved reeling machines (Automatic Reeling Machine for mulberry; improved reeling/spinning machineries and Buniyad reeling machines for Vanya silk) under Make in India programme to produce quality silk to cater to the market demand.

The scheme will promote Women Empowerment and livelihood opportunities to SC/ST and other weaker sections of the society. The scheme will help to increase productive employment from 85 lakhs to 1 crore persons by 2020.