Gamut of opportunities for textile sector: Maha Minister
A Draft Correspondent | Mumbai
'Technotex 2023 - A Curtain Raiser' was held on 5 December 2022 at Trident Hotel in Mumbai as a precursor to the 10th International Exhibition and Conference on Technical Textiles (Technotex 2023) to be held from 22 to 24 February 2023.
The Guest of Honour for the occasion was Maharashtra Minister of Textiles, Higher and Technical Education and Parliamentary Affairs Chandrakant Patil. While addressing the audience, he said that the ministry will extend full support and cooperation to address the issues affecting the industry and to help implement new policies introduced by the central government. He emphasised on the need for skilled labour and expertise and encouraged the industry to design relevant courses for which he assured administrative and infrastructure support.
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| Maharashtra Minister of Textiles Chandrakant Patil speaking at Technotex 2023 curtain-raiser in Mumbai |
He said, "The Technical Textile sector is one of the key constituents of the Indian economy and is also a focus of the Government towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat as one of the niche sunrise sectors of the economy." With a GSDP of USD 420 billion in 2021-22, Maharashtra has become the highest contributor to the Indian economy, accounting for almost 14.5 per cent of the country's GDP. The textile industry in the state contributes 14 per cent to India's total textile and apparel exports.
The Minister added, "Maharashtra is one of the biggest producers of key raw materials and intermediates used in the textile and apparel industry, such as cotton, and has established clusters for textiles, especially man-made fibre and wool."
Talking about the present scope, he said there's a 'gamut of opportunities' and that Maharashtra's Textile Policy is aimed at generating ten lakh new employment opportunities, attracting investments worth INR 36,000 crore, providing benefits such as competitive power tariff and increased capital subsidy.
Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India Darshana Jardosh who was the Chief Guest for the event spoke about how, as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the government has made efforts to promote technical textiles and how it's an important time for the textiles industry. She further recalled how Technotex has come a long way from the first such event held in 2011. She added, "Today, there's a bigger need for marketing than production and build a connect with global industry."
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| Minister of State for Textiles (GoI) Darshana Jardosh addressing the audience |
The Chairman and Mentor of FICCI Technotex SME Organising Committee and Chairman of Supreme Nonwovens Industries Pvt. Ltd. Mohan Kavrie said there's a need to be 'action-oriented and output-driven' and the industry needs to 'get involved' for desired results.
Textile Comissioner of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India Roop Rashi while giving an overview of Technotex commended the industry for stepping forward to make PPE Kits during the COVID-19 pandemic, without any support.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India Rajeev Saxena spoke about the present scenarios and future plans of the industry. During the event, a film on Technotex was screened and the Technotex 2023 Brochure was released by the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour.
