India's Textile Sector: A Transformative Force for Employment and Growth
Prime Minister Modi Champions Textile Industry Growth
On January 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the evolution of India's textile industry from a traditional sector into a dynamic job-generating powerhouse, reflecting the essence of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
During his address, PM Modi referenced an article by Union Minister Giriraj Singh, which highlights the significance of the Centre's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and new Free Trade Agreements that are paving the way for a new employment wave.
The revival of India's textile sector is driven by robust domestic demand and increasing consumption. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, India stands as one of the most resilient textile markets globally. The domestic textile market has surged from approximately ₹8.4 lakh crore to an estimated ₹13 lakh crore within just five years, as noted by the minister.
He also pointed out that consumption patterns support this growth, with per capita textile consumption nearly doubling over the last decade, rising from around ₹3,000 in 2014-15 to over ₹6,000 by 2024-25, and is expected to reach ₹12,000 by 2030.
Exports have reflected this demand-driven growth, with textile and apparel exports increasing from ₹2.49 lakh crore in 2019-20, the year the pandemic hit, to nearly ₹3.5 lakh crore by 2024-25, indicating a 28% growth in the post-Covid era. This significant recovery highlights India's capacity to rapidly scale manufacturing as global demand rebounds and convert export growth into job opportunities throughout the textile value chain.
The minister also underscored the significance of the PM MITRA Park initiative, anticipating investments of around ₹18,500 crore in the textiles sector from proposals received under this scheme, which aims to enhance production, employment, and exports.
To foster a modern industrial infrastructure for the entire textile value chain, the Government has approved the establishment of seven PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks across greenfield and brownfield sites, with a budget of ₹4,445 crore allocated for the period from 2021-22 to 2027-28.
The Government has identified seven locations for the PM MITRA Parks: Tamil Nadu (Virudhunagar), Telangana (Warangal), Gujarat (Navsari), Karnataka (Kalaburagi), Madhya Pradesh (Dhar), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow), and Maharashtra (Amravati).
Upon completion, each PM MITRA Park is projected to attract approximately ₹10,000 crore in investments and create around 300,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.