``At least 51 such units will be installed before this April end,'' the board member-secretary Arun Ramanathan said.

The setting up of multi-end silk reeling units would in particular help in producing better quality warp, the longitudinal yarn making up a fabric, he said.

Currently, yarn produced through the traditional reeling units were weak especially to meet the demand for warps, he said, adding this especially was a handicap for using yarn produced from traditional units in the powerloom sector.

Most of the multi-end units would be set up in Karnataka and only skilled reelers among existing ones would be preferred for the scheme, he said.

Under the scheme to set up these modernised units, reelers have to foot 10 per cent of the cost for machinery.

While 30 per cent of the cost is subsidisedequally by the union and state governments, the 60 per cent is extended a interest-free loan.

Even on that, there was a one-year moratorium for payment he said, adding currently there was a 3,600-4,000 tonnes warp yarn demand with most of it being met through imports from China.

The multi-end reeling machinery had a 10-base unit against a six-base one in the traditional reeling machinery, while a unit to cook the cocoons was also part of the former.

``We are not providing any extraordinary support. It is only support to help them install better equipment,'' Ramanathan said.

It was the need for better quality warp from the powerloom sector that had led to import of 2911 tonnes of silk yarn from China during 1996-97, he said.

Karnataka commissioner for sericulture development R Bagawane said with the weaving pattern in the silk sector changing from handloom to powerloom, there was a need for stronger and quality yarn.

``At least 2000 tonnes of yarn conforming to 2a grade are also being used bypowerloom as weft, (the latitudinal yarn of a fabric),'' he said.

Besides, the textile ministry had also come forward to finance weavers up to Rs 10 lakh for upgradation of equipment, Ramanathan said.

Bagawane said a target of 20,000 tonnes had been set for silk yarn production in the country during the Ninth Plan against the current 12,900 tonnes.

Ramanathan said besides the scheme for setting up multi-end reeling units, the planning commission had drawn up 36 schemes at an outlay of Rs 89 crore to facilitate growth of the sericulture sector and almost all states where silk yarn was being produced had submitted proposals to tap the funds.