TEA Pushes for Worker Housing in Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy 2026
The Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) has called on the Tamil Nadu Government to make affordable worker housing a central focus of the upcoming Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy 2026, highlighting that better living facilities are crucial to tackling labour shortages and sustaining the region’s export-led textile growth.
The recommendations were presented during the Textiles Sector Roundtable organised by Guidance Tamil Nadu in Chennai as part of stakeholder consultations for the new industrial policy.
To improve worker retention, TEA proposed the development of dormitory-style hostels for unmarried workers and affordable housing for families employed in Tiruppur’s garment sector. The association also requested that the existing Women’s Hostel at Neruperichal be transferred to TEA for accommodating garment industry employees.
Considering that Tiruppur’s textile ecosystem is dominated by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), TEA recommended establishing dedicated worker accommodation parks across four industrial zones in the district. Each park would accommodate around 25,000 workers, creating housing capacity for one lakh workers in the first phase through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Beyond housing, the association urged the government to support technology upgrades and automation investments, establish a Technical Textiles and Centre of Excellence for Activewear in Tiruppur, increase solar power capacity limits, and introduce green subsidies to enhance the global competitiveness of textile exporters.