Aiming to boost jobs and attract investments, the government on Wednesday approved a Rs 6,000 crore special package for textiles and apparel sector.

The investments envi-saged in the sector are to the tune of $11 billion, while in the next three years around one crore new jobs are to be created.

The measures approv-ed include additional incentives for duty dra-wback scheme for garments, flexibility in lab-our laws to increase productivity as well as tax and production incentives for job creation in garment makers.

“Over the last few years, apparel manufacturing had shifted to countries like China which had cost advantages. However, China’s cost advantage has been neutralised to some extent because of an increase in labour wages. We have advantages of economies of scale. Therefore, it was decided to take steps to give a boost to the sector. The package will help in realising the true potential of employment generation in the textile and apparel sector,” finance minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The Rs 6,000 package will result in additonal investments worth $11 billion, creation of one crore additional jobs and increase in exports worth $30.4 billion which will help boost textile and garmenting sector. We will overtake Viet-nam and Bangladesh in garment exports within next three years if we properly implement the package,” textiles secretary Rashmi Verma, who was also present on the occasion, said.

Among the measures to usher in flexibility in labour laws are increasing overtime hours for workers which are not to exceed 8 hours per week in line with ILO norms and the introduction of fixed term employment looking at the seasonal nature of the garment sector. A fixed term workman will be considered at par with permanent workman in terms of working hours, wages, allowanced and other statutory dues.

“The package breaks new ground in moving from input to outcome based incentives by increasing subsidy under Amended-TUFS from 15 per cent to 25 per cent for the garment sector as a boost to employment generation,” an official statement issued later, said.

A unique feature of the scheme will be to disburse the subsidy only after the expected jobs are created.

The majority of new jobs are likely to go to women since the garment industry employs nearly 70 per cent women workforce. Thus, the pac-kage would help in social transformation through women empowerment.

Industry bodies welcomed initiatives, including labour reforms, saying that the sector has huge potential for job creation. Some said however that support for R&D was missing.