Which Indian state has the largest number of Cotton Textiles Mills?

The correct answer is Maharashtra.

Key Points

• Cotton Textile Industry in India:
  • The cotton textile industry is the largest organised modem industry of India.
  • There has been phenomenal growth in this industry during the last four decades.
  • About 16 per cent of the industrial capital and over 20 per cent of the industrial labour of the country is engaged in this industry.
  • Cotton plays an important role in the Indian economy as the country’s textile industry is predominantly cotton based.
  • India is one of the largest producers as well as exporters of cotton yarn.
  • The textile industry is also expected to reach US$ 223 billion by the year 2021.
  • The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab are the major cotton producers in India.
  • There has been phenomenal growth in this industry during the last four decades.
  • About 16 per cent of the industrial capital and over 20 per cent of the industrial labour of the country is engaged in this industry.

Additional Information

• Present mills centres and their scenario:
  • The industry also tended to shift from areas of high labour cost to those with low labour cost.
  • The labour cost factor played a crucial role in establishing this industry at Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Coimbatore.
  • Gradually industry shifted towards small towns and cities.
  • Example: centres like Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Indore, Solapur, Vadodara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Indore, Amritsar.
• Government Incentives:
  • The cotton textile industry considered highly labour-intensive, beneficial to the village economy and women empowerment.
  • Therefore the government aids them with measures such as the Integrated Village Textile Development scheme and National Silk Yarn Scheme.