A sense of satisfaction prevailed in Punjab’s textile and apparel manufacturing industry today, as, after a long gap, the State Government, various industry agencies and players came together on a single platform. The occasion Apparel & Textiles Conclave, supported by the Punjab Government and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at Ludhiana.
Almost all big shots as well as a majority of SMEs of the state’s textile and apparel industry were not only present, but highlighted their concerns also. During the day-long event, MoUs worth Rs. 400 cr. were also signed for investment in the textile sector. Industry and Commerce Minister of Punjab, Sundar Shyam Arora also announced that Northern Indian Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT) would be upgraded as a University of Fashion.
Rajinder Gupta, Chairman, Trident Group; Rajiv Garg, President, NITMA; DL Sharma, MD, Vardhman Textiles; Ajit Lakra, President, Ludhiana Knitters Association, and many more industry stalwarts shared the ideas and issues regarding the growth of the industry. The event was organized to chalk out an effective action plan for the systematic growth of the textile and clothing industry, in the region.
Industry representatives raised many long pending issues and most important was the promise of electricity supply at the rate of Rs. 5 per unit (the promise was made by the Congress party during state election but has still not been implemented even after one year).
The minister and officials assured the industry of necessary steps for the same. Industry stalwarts were further of the opinion that Punjab with its strong base in textiles, from farm to fashion, can help create opportunities for employment generation, inward investment, exports, building of global brands and identifying gaps in the value chain besides exploring new potential areas such as technical textiles.
The take away of the conclave would be used for fashioning an appropriate strategy and way- forward in terms of policy provision by the government.
Prashant Agarwal, JMD, Wazir Advisors shared an overview of the state textile scenario and put forward suggestions on how the state can grow further. A report was also released on the same. There were various sessions in the conclave like ‘Creating Eco System for Making Punjab’s textile industry competitive’, Brand building & Multichannel approach to Retail; Making Punjab Ready for technical textile; which were highly appreciated
