The government has sanctioned Rs.2,100 crore to set up 21 new textiles parks across the country with advanced infrastructure and upgraded technology, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said Thursday.

All the 21 new textiles parks will be completed over the next three years under the government-run scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks.

Sharma, as chairman of the project approval committee under the scheme, accorded approval to the recommendations of the inter-ministerial project scrutiny committee that examined 55 proposals, an official statement said.

"Sanction of new textiles parks would catalyse significant additional investments with industry utilising the benefits both under the Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks for development of common infrastructure and under the Technology Upgradation Funds Scheme for installation of plant and machinery," Sharma said.

The Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks seeks green field investments in textiles sector on a public private partnership basis with the objective of setting up world class infrastructure for the textiles industry.

Of the 21 units approved, six will be in Maharashtra, four in Rajasthan, two each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal.

Product mix in these parks would include apparel and garment parks, hosiery parks, silk parks, processing parks, technical textiles including medical textiles, carpet parks and powerloom parks.

"The focus has been to ensure value addition through aggregation to best utilize India's raw material surplus in cotton and cotton yarn for enhanced labour employment and export earnings," Sharma said in a statement.

The minister said on the back of the huge success of textiles park scheme in the country he would urge higher fund allocation for the scheme for Twelfth Five Year Plan that starts April 1, 2012.

Of the 40 textiles parks sanctioned under the 11th Five Year Plan, 24 have started operations and attracted investments of over Rs.18,880 crores, with a government subsidy of Rs.1,420 crore.

Sharma said the new textiles parks would leverage an investment of over Rs.9,000 crore and provide employment nearly four lakh workers.