Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the government is working to enlarge the textile sector’s role in the making of a developed India and update the country’s textile traditions to give them a new look as per contemporary requirements.

He was inaugurating Bharat Tex 2024, one of the largest-ever global textile events to be organized in the country at Bharat Mandapam here.

Mr Modi welcomed more than 3000 exhibitors and traders from about 100 countries, and around 40,000 visitors associated with Bharat Tex. He said the occasion was special as the event was taking place at two of the largest exhibition centers in India, Bharat Mandapam and Yasho Bhoomi.

“We are focussing on tradition, technology, talent and training,” he said. The concept of Five Fs — Farm to Fiber, Fiber to Factory, Factory to Fashion, Fashion to Foreign – binds all elements of the value chain to a single whole, he said.

In order to help the MSME sector, the Prime Minister mentioned the change in the definition of MSME to ensure continued benefits even after growth in size. He also talked about direct sales, exhibitions and online portals that have reduced the distance between the artisans and the market.

The Prime Minister said positive, stable and far-sighted government policies had helped the valuation of the Indian textiles market to cross Rs 12 lakh crore from less than Rs 7 lakh crore in 2014. There is a 25 per cent increase in yarn, fabric and apparel production. As many as 380 new BIS standards are ensuring quality control in the sector. This has led to doubling of FDI in the sector in the last 10 years, he said.

The government has plans to create seven PM MITRA Parks in various states and the emphasis will be on creation of opportunities for the entire textile sector, he said. “Government strives to establish the entire value chain ecosystem in a single place where modern infrastructure with plug-and-play facilities are made available,” he said. This will not only improve scale and operation but also bring down logistics costs.

Referring to the employment potential and participation of the rural population and women in textiles sectors, the Prime Minister said that seven out of 10 apparel makers are women and in handlooms, the number is even higher.

He emphasized that the steps taken in the last 10 years have made Khadi a strong medium of development and jobs. Similarly, welfare schemes and infrastructure push of the last decade have also benefited the textile sector, he said.

Talking about India’s growing profile as a cotton, jute and silk producer, PM Modi said that the government is supporting cotton farmers and is buying cotton from them. He said Kasturi Cotton, launched by the government, will be a big step in creating India’s brand value globally, he said. He said measures to support the Jute and silk sector are also being taken and referred to the new sectors like technical textiles for which the National Technical Textiles Mission has been conceived.

The Prime Minister said there is need for technology and mechanization on one hand and uniqueness and authenticity on the other and said that India has a place where both these demands can co-exist.

He said the products manufactured by India’s artisans always have a unique feature to it, and the demand for such talent increases with demand for unique fashion. Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the government is focusing on skill as well as scale with the number of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) institutes in the country increasing to 19.

He said that local weavers and artisans are also being connected to NIFTs with the organization of special training programs about new technology. The Prime Minister mentioned the Samarth Scheme where more than 2.5 lakh people have received capacity building and skill development training so far. He said the majority of women have participated in this scheme where around 1.75 lakh people have already found placement in the industry.

The Prime Minister talked about Vocal for Local and said “Today, a people’s movement is going on in the country for ‘Vocal for Local and Local to Global’. The government is creating systems like exhibitions and malls for small artisans, he said.