Karnataka Textile and Apparel Policy 4.0 for 2026–31 will be released shortly, with the state government promising to expand textile investment and employment beyond Bengaluru and other already developed regions, Textile Minister Rudrappa Lamani said on November 7.
The minister said the new policy would provide a fresh direction to investment, job creation and balanced regional development in Karnataka’s textile sector. He was speaking while chairing a review meeting on schemes of the Handlooms and Textiles Department and the progress of various corporations under it.
According to Lamani, the policy will include several new measures to extend investment and employment opportunities to different parts of the state. The announcement places regional distribution at the centre of the policy, rather than limiting textile-sector growth to Bengaluru and other areas that already have stronger levels of development.
The minister said the main objective was to take textile investment and job creation to other parts of Karnataka. The statement did not specify the districts that would be prioritised, the incentives proposed for companies, the expected investment value or the number of jobs targeted under the 2026–31 policy.
Lamani also said that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had taken special interest in the new textile policy and had included several new elements in it. The announcement did not provide details of those additions or indicate whether the policy had received final approval from the state Cabinet.
The policy is also expected to give special priority to the silk sector, according to the minister. Karnataka’s textile administration covers both handloom and broader textile-related programmes, and the review meeting included the progress of different corporations linked to the department.
The proposed policy comes as the state government seeks to connect industrial investment with employment and regional development. Its stated approach would require textile activity to be distributed across more locations instead of remaining concentrated in established economic centres. However, the announcement does not yet set out the implementation structure, funding arrangements, land requirements or administrative mechanism for achieving that objective.
The government has identified the release of the Karnataka Textile and Apparel Policy 4.0 as the next step. Further details on its measures, regional focus, incentives and implementation framework are expected when the policy is formally issued.
