a. Sericulture: The rearing of silkworms to produce raw silk is known as sericulture. Fresh mulberry leaves are fed to the silkworms and thread is unravelled from the cocoons on small spinning machines. Sericulture is of two types— mulberry and non-mulberry. The mulberry sector accounts for nearly 90 % of the natural silk produced in India.
b. Ancillary industry: Industries whose products are not meant for the consumer but are raw material or assemblages for other industries are known as ancillary industries. An auto parts manufacturing company which sells its parts to a car maker, or a cloth producing unit which sells cloth to the garment industry are good examples of ancillary industries.
c. ‘Sick’ Mills: This is a term used for those textile mills which have become uneconomical and ceased to make any profit on a sustained basis. Nowadays, the government has taken control over such ‘sick’ mills in order to protect the plight of the mill workers.
d. Mulberry Silk: This type of silk is obtained from the silkworm which feeds on the mulberry leaves. The mulberry sector is better organised and accounts for nearly 90 % of the natural silk produced in India. It is produced in Karnataka, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
