Time and again the industry has asked the Government to support them in getting through with the GST woes and clear clouds on ROSL release. But there seems to be no end to the ‘meetings’ on such matters, as exports continue to tumble, a yet another meeting with the Centre to discuss griefs.
A delegation comprising officials of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and representatives of the Indian apparel and textile industry met the acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, Textile Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and senior officials of Textile Ministry, to put forth the issues faced by the ailing industry.
The delegation highlighted the issue of decline in textile and apparel exports over months; blockages in GST refund; expansion; employment; and disbursement of RoSL benefits during the meeting held at North Block in New Delhi.
The delay in GST refunds and RoSL disbursement have been a major cause of concern among the apparel export industry which has made them paralysed to book orders; thus making the sector uncompetitive.
The Finance Minister was also apprised about the crisis being faced by the apparel manufacturers as more than 90 per cent of them represent MSME sector which has limited financial capability. The situation is even worse for them.
The Minister, however, assured them to have a reimbursement mechanism in place soon and also promised to expedite GST and ROSL refunds in a time-bound manner.
Additionally, the Centre has also promised to create a system which will help boost exports; and thus, jobs in the industry.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Irani informed that the industry has received an investment of around Rs. 27,000 crores since the announcement of incentive package, and is likely to get more investment from international and domestic markets going forward.
The positive impact of such investments and policies is yet to be seen on the exports from India. On the other hand, Vietnam is growing at a greater pace. Steps need to be taken soon to firm up the country’s position in the apparel export market, else it’ll continue to be on the losing end.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
