Last Updated on October 21, 2026 10:26 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Our Correspondent / NEW DELHI
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has formally requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and resume production at National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills, alongside clearing 11 months of pending wages for workers.
According to BMS . the National Textile Mills, operating under the Ministry of Textiles, comprise 23 public sector mills spread across 7 states and 1 union territory. Production across these units has remained suspended since March 2020, following the imposition of the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
Wage Crisis and Management Stance
Since the initial shutdown, the NTC management has restricted payments to just 50% of workers’ salaries. Compounding this financial distress, even this reduced amount is not paid regularly, leaving workers with an accumulation of 11 months in unpaid salary dues.
The administration has cited a lack of funds and claimed that pending wages can only be disbursed after selling NTC mill properties. BMS has strongly condemned this lackadaisical approach by the administration.
Proposed Solutions for Mill Operations
Out of the 23 total mills, 12 were modernized and functioning efficiently prior to the pandemic-induced shutdown. BMS has urged the Prime Minister to allocate sufficient funds to restart production in these 12 specific facilities, which are located in:
- Tamil Nadu (4 mills)
- Kerala (2 mills)
- Maharashtra (2 mills)
- Puducherry (1 mill)
- Karnataka (1 mill)
- Gujarat (1 mill)
- Madhya Pradesh (1 mill)
For the remaining mills equipped with obsolete machinery, BMS has requested a reconsideration of the government’s policy, emphasizing the labour-intensive nature of the textile industry.
Allegations of Victimization and Administrative Overhaul
The union also brought attention to labour disputes in Coimbatore, where agitating workers demanding their wage dues faced punitive actions. Local authorities placed BMS leader Sri Perumal Swamy and MLF leader Sri Kumaraswamy under suspension starting in July through alleged false cases, barring these essential service maintenance personnel from performing their duties under the guise of an inquiry.
Citing administrative mismanagement and the failure of the marketing division as primary drivers of losses within NTC mills, BMS has urged the Prime Minister to execute a complete corporate and zonal-level administrative reshuffle.
The appeal was issued through a letter written by BMS General Secretary Surendra Kumar Pandey.