Bhubaneswar, Feb. 16: An incubation centre spread over an area of 45,000sqft will be built here shortly to groom textile entrepreneurs.

The Union ministry of textiles has given its approval for setting up the incubation centre that will help first generation entrepreneurs in the field of textiles.

Responding quickly, the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has allotted one acre of land for the project near the campus of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT),Bhubaneswar, at the Chandaka Industrial Estate.

The project will be set up with the textiles ministry providing a grant of Rs 12.93 crore and the state government investing Rs 11 lakh.

However, the incubation centre will not promote entrepreneurs with existing family business. Instead, students with degree or diploma in textile engineering or fashion and diploma in fashion technology will be eligible to apply for it.

To implement the project, amemorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the ministry of textiles and the Odisha State Cooperative Spinning Mills Federation (Spinfed) about a month ago. Spinfed has also provided bank guarantee for the project that is expected to begin shortly.

The centre will be a major boost for young entrepreneurs from the state as they can take forward the work of traditional weavers, who have been creating masterpieces in Ikkat (tie and dye) saris and other silk fabrics.

The tribals of the state also have an array of innovative fabrics that are in great demand in India and abroad.

Sources said that Spinfed had applied for setting up the incubation centre in October last year. It had submitted the proposal for the project with an approval note from the state government.

The project approval and monitoring committee of the ministry had given its nod to the project on December 26 last year.

Speaking about the project joint director textiles and managing director of Spinfed Anantapada Sah said: 'Emphasis will be given to first generation entrepreneurs and for that the basic infrastructure will be supplied. An entrepreneur will be allowed to work on one floor (an area of 1,500 sqft) for a period of three years. As the infrastructure needs around 60 per cent of the investment cost of a start-up unit, the basic infrastructure such as machinery and the facility will be available here as an incentive and the rest such as human resource management has to be arranged by the owner of the unit.''

Sources said each floor of the incubation centre can accommodate 100 machines needed for apparel design and production that will require the employment of 150 persons.

After the incubation period of three years, people can start their own enterprises.

Joint director, handlooms, textiles and handicrafts, Raja Parija said: 'NIFT Bhubaneswar will provide technology support to the project. Students fulfilling the criteria from NIFT, College of Engineering and Technology, Textiles Diploma TrainIng Institute at Choudwar and Apparel Training and Designing Centre, Mancheswar, can also take the chance and apply to avail the opportunity at the incubation centre.''

'The city has an technology-business-incubation (TBI) centre at KIIT University and another one is also coming up over an area of 60,000 sqft. This new incubation centre for textiles near NIFT will definitely add a new dimension to entrepreneurship development in the textiles sector,'' said fashion designing student Sreeja Poonam.