Textiles ministers to chart growth roadmap at Guwahati meet on January 8–9

A national roadmap to scale up India’s textiles industry will be discussed in Guwahati on January 8 and 9, when the National Textiles Ministers’ Conference brings together Union and State ministers, senior officials and sector stakeholders.

Organised jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Government of Assam, the two-day conference will focus on aligning policies and programmes to strengthen India’s position as a global textiles manufacturing hub. The deliberations are linked to the national target of building a USD 350 billion textile industry and raising textile exports to USD 100 billion by 2030.

The inaugural session on January 8 will be attended by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita, along with other dignitaries.

Sessions over the two days will examine infrastructure and investment, export expansion, competitiveness, raw materials and fibres, and emerging areas such as technical textiles and research and development. Traditional textiles, including handloom and handicrafts, will be discussed with a focus on linking them to contemporary markets.

Ministers and officials from States and Union Territories are expected to share best practices, highlight challenges and offer policy suggestions to strengthen the textile value chain across regions and districts.

A conclave on strengthening the textiles sector of the North-Eastern Region will also be held on January 8. It will focus on silk, handloom and bamboo-based textiles, women-led enterprises, and branding “Textiles from North-East” to improve market access and integration with national and global value chains.

A special exhibition of Indian handlooms and handicrafts from across the country will be organised alongside the conference by the offices of the Development Commissioners for Handlooms and Handicrafts.