The top textile jobs in Maharashtra have been flooded with migrants in recent months.
The government has made it mandatory for textile workers to complete three years of basic training before they can enter the field, a move which has triggered a rush to join the textile industry.
However, while a few textile mills are offering jobs to locals, many more are refusing to hire locals.
“There is no jobs in the sector and the demand for jobs is huge.
In some of the textile mills, there is no need to hire any local workers,” said Manoj Kumar, managing director of the Nandapura, one of the mills which have been hit hard by the shortage.
In recent months, workers have been leaving the mills for better jobs in cities, including Mumbai, where construction has become the mainstay of the sector.
However there is little job security for workers in the textile sector.
According to data compiled by the Economic Survey, the number of textile workers in Maharashtra has fallen by a quarter from January to March this year.
While the demand is there for more jobs, the state government is struggling to fill the gap.
The state government has set aside around Rs 2,500 crore to provide jobs to people who want them and has been issuing notices to all workers who do not want to work.
Some mills have started issuing work permits to locals.
However, the government is yet to issue any such permit to workers.