THE screening committee under the chairmanship of the Punjab chief secretary RI Singh on Friday approved nine mega manufacturing projects worth Rs 1,500 crore. Disclosing this, a spokesman of the Punjab government said with the setting up of these mega projects would give a boost to the textile industry in Punjab and create employment opportunities for the youth of the state. Giving details of the projects, he said Aarti International Ltd L u d h i a n a would be installing 60,000 spindles at Chandigarh road, Ludhiana at a cost of Rs 242.06 crore. Avani Textile Ltd, Sangrur would set up a cotton yarn manufacturing unit at Sangrur at a cost of Rs 134.50 crore. A Rs 143.50-crore project by Oswal Spinning and Weaving Mills Ltd and another worth Rs 115.00 crore by Aggarsain Spinners Ltd (ASL) would also be set up at Ludhiana. Two cotton spinning units by Shiva Fibers Pvt Ltd and Grospinz Fabz Ltd, for Rs 145.21 crore and Rs 66.79 crore, respectively, would be set up at Doraya in Ludhiana district and Muktsar-Jalalabad Road, respectively. Vallabh Textiles Company Ltd would set up integrated cotton yarns spinning and towel unit, costing Rs 124.71 crore, at Ludhiana. Besides these, expansion of a cement grinding unit and a 20-mw captive thermal plant worth Rs 300 crore would be carried out by Grasim Industries at Lehra Mohabat in Bathinda district. A rice milling plant by Sunstar Overseas Ltd would be set up at Meherabanpura in Amritsar at a cost of Rs. 51.76 crore. M/s Mukesh Udyog Ltd, Ludhiana would install 55,200 spindles and weaving processing units in nine phases at Ludhiana . This project, worth Rs 225 crore would generate employment avenues to 1,000 persons, he added. The meeting was attended by the financial commissioners of revenue, excise and taxation and development departments; principal secretaries of finance, science & technology and labour departments; secretaries of the department of housing and urban development and power along with the chairmen of the Punjab State Electricity Board and the Punjab State Pollution Control Board.