A Comparative Study of Power Loom Industry Challenges in Mau and Other Indian Textile Clusters
Keywords:
Power loom industry, Textile clusters, Mau, Industrial challenges, Comparative analysisAbstract
The power loom sector occupies a pivotal position in India's textile industry, contributing approximately 60% of the country's total cloth production and employing over 4.86 million workers (Shankar, 2020). This comparative study examines the challenges faced by the power loom industry in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, in relation to other prominent Indian textile clusters including Bhiwandi, Surat, Erode, and Ichalkaranji. The research employs a mixed-method approach combining primary survey data from 150 power loom units across five clusters and secondary data analysis from government reports and industry publications. The study reveals that while Mau faces similar challenges to other clusters such as technological obsolescence (affecting 78% of units), power supply issues (65% of units), and financial constraints (72% of units), it demonstrates unique socio-economic characteristics with 85% family-owned businesses and lower automation rates (12%) compared to Bhiwandi (25%) and Surat (30%). Key findings indicate that power tariff costs in Mau are 15% higher than the national average, while productivity remains 25% lower than leading clusters. The study concludes that targeted interventions focusing on technology upgradation, skill development, and infrastructure improvement are essential for enhancing competitiveness in Mau's power loom sector. These findings contribute to understanding regional variations in India's decentralized power loom industry and provide insights for policy formulation and strategic development initiatives.
