Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today ordered setting up of a silk park near Kanchipuram, a move which will benefit 10,000 silk weavers.

According to an official press release here, the Chief Minister had already granted approval to provide subsidy of nine per cent (not exceeding Rs crore) of the total project cost to all textile parks being set up in Tamilnadu.

'Now, she has ordered to set up Perarignar Anna Handloom Silk Park at Kilkathirpur in Kanchipuram district in 75 acre government land. Out of the total project cost of Rs 83.83 crore, the Tamilnadu government's nine per cent subsidy will be deducted in the land cost of Rs 13.77 crore. The remaining Rs 6.23 crore will be given as loan without guarantee, repayable in five years,' said the release.

Listing out the features of the park, the release it will have loom centres, dyeing halls, designing centres, lab, training centre, dispensary, public amenities centre, retail sales division, exhibition hall and raw materials godowns among other things.

The Chief Minister has also ordered to set up weavers' training centres in Kanchipuram and Kumbakonam.

'She has alloted Rs 46.9 lakh per each centre, totalling Rs 92.19 lakh,' said the reelase.

Recently, Jayalalithaa said her government would contribute to the Tamilnadu Co-operative Handloom Weavers Savings and Security Scheme as the Centre had stopped its contribution towards the scheme.

She also announced the State government's decision to increase grants to mulberry farmers.

Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, she said members admitted under this scheme were contributing eight paise per rupee of wages earned and the State government's contribution would be four paise per rupee of wages earned by each weaver.

She said a total of 76,051 handloom weavers would benefit from the scheme and it would cost an additional amount of Rs. 5 crore per year.

Mulberry cultivation

She said Tamilnadu was a leading State in the production of the bivoltine silk (white silk), mulberry cultivation and cocoon rearing and the government would increase the grant for mulberry farmers from Rs. 4,125 to Rs. 6,750 per acre to sustain production and to encourage farmers.