Hon’ble Union Minister for Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, visited Tiruppur today as part of his official tour. He was accompanied by Shri T.N. Venkatesh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, and Dr. Beena, IAS, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
The Minister began his visit at Nethaji Apparel Park, India’s first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model textile park, where he toured garment manufacturing units and interacted with industry representatives to understand Tiruppur’s world-class manufacturing capabilities and sustainable production practices. He also participated in the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat programme.
The Minister later attended an exporters’ interaction organised by the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association (TEA) under the chairmanship of Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).
Welcoming the Hon’ble Minister, Dr. A. Sakthivel highlighted the need to strengthen the PM MITRA Scheme by extending a 50 per cent capital subsidy for textile processing units, promote balanced growth of Man-Made Fibre (MMF) and cotton garments, simplify fabric imports under export schemes, establish a Centre of Excellence for Green Processing, and provide policy support to enable India’s apparel exports to reach USD 40 billion, including USD 20 billion from MMF garments.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Giriraj Singh lauded Tiruppur’s remarkable transformation from an unorganised cluster into a globally recognised and sustainable apparel manufacturing hub. He appreciated the tireless efforts of the entrepreneurs and congratulated Dr. A. Sakthivel for his visionary leadership in taking Tiruppur to global prominence. The Minister also commended the contributions of Dr. Beena, IAS, and Shri T.N. Venkatesh, IAS, towards the development of the textile sector.
The Minister emphasised that branding Tiruppur should be a national priority and described the textile sector as the largest employment generator after agriculture. Referring to the recent Textile Summit held in New Delhi, he said that Tamil Nadu has been assigned an apparel export target of USD 21 billion by 2030. He urged exporters to diversify their product portfolio and progressively shift 40 per cent of their production towards MMF garments to enhance global competitiveness.
He assured the industry that both the Central and State Governments would extend support for workers’ hostel facilities and give positive consideration to the industry’s representations. He also highlighted the achievements of the Government over the past 12 years, including progress in GST collections, textile consumption, manufacturing growth and other key economic indicators.
The meeting was attended by presidents and representatives of various textile and trade associations, exporters and members of the business community. During the interactive session, participants presented their concerns and suggestions relating to textile and apparel exports. Responding to the representations, the Hon’ble Union Minister assured the industry that the Government would take prompt steps to address their issues and extend all possible support to accelerate the growth of India’s textile and apparel exports.
