Linking my 2006 letter with current scenario wrong: Maran

CHENNAI - Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran Saturday said the media is mistakenly linking his 2006 letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the process of spectrum allocation with the current scenario.

He also gave a clean chit to Manmohan Singh, saying he is “a bold and honest leader.”

Speaking to reporters here after launching online registration of cotton yarn exports, Maran said it was on his suggestion when he held the communications portfolio in 2006 that the empowered group of ministers (EGOM) was set up to get the defence ministry to release the spectrum it held for telecom and his ministry drafted the terms of reference for allocating these radio waves.

Contending that there was no controversy during his tenure as communications minister on spectrum pricing, Maran said the media is not right in forming a judgement on the basis of a letter without seeing its enclosures/attachements.

Speaking about the availability of funds under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), he said the government will soon clear the issues connected with the scheme.

The government had allocated Rs.8,000 crore for disbursement under TUFS for the Eleventh Plan Period but the demand from the industry has exceeded that sum.

Maran said 25 Special Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) have been completed out of 40 sanctioned in 2005.

According to him, the SITP will attract investments of around Rs.19,450 crore and the production value will be around Rs.43,500 crore while the employment potential will be around one million jobs.

He said eight SITPs are located in Tamil Nadu attracting investments of around Rs.2,081 crore.

Referring to cotton prices, he said these would stabilise by Dec 15 and the government would take necessary action to supply yarn to the domestic industry.