Centre assures weavers of full support to boost growth

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, has assured the Weavers' Service Association of full government support to promote the sector at a meeting held in Bengaluru, an official said.

"Secretary Textiles chaired the meeting on April 9 with the Textile institutions and organisations at Bengaluru. Discussions with Weavers' Service Association on textiles issues and assured the support from the Ministry of Textiles," the Ministry said in a post on X.

The Centre has released over Rs 364 crore during the current financial year for schemes to benefit handloom workers in the country, according to information tabled in Parliament recently.

While a sum of Rs 192.06 crore was released for the National Handloom Development Programme another Rs 171.98 crore was disbursed under the Raw Material Supply Scheme for handloom workers, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

He further stated that the Ministry of Textiles is implementing other schemes under National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) for the welfare of handloom workers across the country.

These include financial support of Rs 8,000 per month to Awardee handloom workers above 60 years of age, in indigent circumstances having annual income below Rs 1 lakh and scholarships of up to Rs 2 lakh per annum to handloom workers’ children (up to 2 children) for study in diploma, graduate and post-graduate courses in Central and State Government funded textiles institutions.

Researchers from CSIR -- National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) also presented new projects supported under the National Technical Textile Mission during the meeting.

With a view to boost the technical textiles sector in the country, National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) was launched for a period from 2020-21 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 1,480 crore.

The NTTM focuses on using textiles in key areas. The mission has four key components aimed at boosting the sector's growth.

Technical textiles are fabrics made for specific functions and performance, rather than for looks. These textiles are designed to meet the needs of various industries like cars, construction, farming, healthcare, and safety.

They are used in products that help protect people, improve machinery, and solve practical problems, such as in car parts, building materials, medical equipment, and safety gear.

While traditional textiles remain crucial, the rise of technical textiles is reshaping the industry. These are specialised fabrics designed for specific uses, focusing on function over appearance. They are divided into 12 categories, each serving a different purpose.

India's textile industry is important to the economy and makes some of the most innovative fabrics globally. India is the 6th largest exporter of textiles globally, with a 3.9 per cent share in world textile exports. It contributes nearly 2 per cent to the country’s GDP.

The sector is set to grow to $350 billion by 2030 further strengthening India's position in the global market. This growth is expected to create 3.5 crore jobs.

--IANS

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