SURAT: Union textile minister, Smriti Irani said that the fabrics required for armed forces will be manufactured in India as scientists, textile ministry, industry and armed forces are working together for the ‘dream’ project.
Irani, who was in the city to inaugurate Yarn Expo-2018 organised by Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) on Saturday, stated that the government has also appointed group of secretaries for transforming India as the textile machinery manufacturing hub.
More than the inauguration, the event provided the platform to the industry leaders to felicitate Irani. They praised her for taking a lead role in resolving the input tax credit (ITC) issue for the powerloom weaving sector, pending since last year. Irani informed that the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and SGCCI will work in conjunction on the design diversification project for the city’s textile sector. The design diversification will not only help the manufacturers to get more value for their fabrics, but it will also increase the export potential of the fabrics manufactured in Surat.
Irani said, “It’s time to show to the world the true capacity and strength of Indian textile industry. The government has taken many proactive measures for the industry and now it’s time to work and prove that all our efforts in conjunction with the industry is going to pay off to the nation as a whole.”
President of Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL), polyester chain, RD Udeshi said, “Surat is the main hub for polyester yarn consumption. But, we need to scale up our production to compete with China. In China, a single shed has more than 2,000 powerloom machines, while in Surat we have a maximum of 100. Now, that the government has announced relief under GST, it’s time to ramp up our production.”
SGCCI president, Hetal Mehta said, “This is first time that about 70 leading yarn manufacturers in the country are participating in the event. We will have about 7,000 buyers from across the country and 100 overseas buyers as well in the coming three days of the event.”

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