Government plans to open a silk park in Arni soon, says Lok Sabha MP
The Hindu
Silk weavers receive privilege card from Chennai eye hospital, giving them access to free screening and treatment; event held to mark World Sight Day, celebrated annually on the second Thursday of October
The government has a proposal to start a silk park in Arni, said M.K. Vishnu Prasad, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from the Tiruvannamalai constituency.
“We have acquired around 23 acres of land and given it to the government. The State government is preparing a detailed report [for establishing a silk park] for the same,” he said at an event to distribute privilege cards to silk weavers here on Thursday.
The park, he hoped, would address the issue of recycling water used for dyeing silk. India was known for its quality silk, and it was sold even in China, he told the gathering.
“I am pleased that Rajan Eye Care Hospital is giving privilege cards to weavers in my constituency. In our constituency, there are many weavers who struggled to renew their insurance during the pandemic. The annual shutdown happens in March, and many of them struggle to renew their insurance. They wait until April when the season begins. The weavers sought my help, and I tried to help them access healthcare,” he said.
The Chennai Vision Charitable Trust and Rotary Rajan Eye Bank distributed privilege cards to weavers to mark World Sight Day, celebrated annually on the second Thursday of October, said Mohan Rajan, chairman and medical director, Rajan Eye Care Hospital. Under the Weavers Vision Project, privilege cards would be distributed to 10,000 weavers in the silk belt.
N. Nandakumar, district governor of Rotary International District 3232, said, “With the card you can come for free screening and treatment.”
Radio City is the associate partner in the project.