Increase in Textile Exports by 20%
Coimbatore: Textile industry is set to play a major role in the Indian economy, Union Textile Secretary A.K. Singh said here on Friday.Delivering the second convocation address of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Textile Management(SVPITM),Coimbatore, he said the contribution of the textile industry to industrial output, employment generation and export earnings had been significant. "Textile exports have picked up momentum and increased by 20.54 per cent in April-June, 2006, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year."
Mr. Singh said India had natural advantages in the whole of the value chain of the sector. It had strong material base of cotton, man-made fibres, jute and silk. Its production capacity, both in spinning and weaving, was large and had a vast pool of skilled manpower with excellent entrepreneurial abilities. However, there were some constraints too, he said. The industry faced infrastructural constraints, power cost and labour reforms.
Mr. Singh listed the Government support extended in the form of special schemes. They were meant for technology upgradation and creation of world-class infrastructure. According to him, establishment of SVPITM was an important milestone to the cater to the human resource need. The industry was expected to require 12 million workers including five million skilled workers by 2011 in addition to the 35 million directly employed at present.
Source: The Hindu
