New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS): Parliament Monday passed a bill to free the ailing National Textile Corporation (NTC) properties from rent control laws.

The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014 was approved by the Rajya Sabha Monday. The Lok Sabha passed it last week.

The bill seeks to amend the Sick Textile Undertaking (Nationalisation) Act, 1974 and the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Act, 1995.

These Acts provide for the nationalisation of certain textile undertakings and for their management by the NTC. The NTC is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the union textiles ministry.

The bill states that there is a need "to protect public investment in the acquired textile undertakings to explicitly clarify the status of such vesting of the lease-hold rights in the central government".

Minister of State for Textile Santosh Gangwar said: "When we came to power we realised NTC was losing land. So we felt the need for this bill," Minister of State for Textile Santosh Gangwar said.

Besides, the minister said a new textile policy is coming up soon.

On the issue of children involved in textile and hand loom industries, he said: "The allegation that there is child labour in textile is wrong. Where I come from, there is zardozi (embroidery) work in which whole family, as well as children are involve."

"Surveys say the families where the children start the work as young age, the specialise and their fingers become long. It cannot be called child labour," he said.