Prime Minister inaugurates Bharat Tex 2024, says it is an excellent platform to highlight India’s exceptional capabilities in the textile industry

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Bharat Tex 2024, one of the largest-ever global textile events to be organized in the country at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed everyone to Bharat Tex 2024 and said that today’s occasion is special because the event is taking place in two of the largest exhibition centers in India namely Bharat Mandapam and Yasho Bhoomi. He acknowledged the association of more than 3000 exhibitors and traders from about 100 countries, and around 40,000 visitors as he underlined that Bharat Tex provides a platform to all of them.

The Prime Minister said that today’s event encompasses many dimensions as ‘the thread of Bharat Tex connects the glorious history of Indian tradition with today’s talent; technology with traditions and is a thread to bring together style/sustainability/ scale/skill. He also saw the event as a great example of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, encompassing myriad textile traditions from all over India. He also praised the exhibition at the venue for displaying the depth, longevity and capability of India’s textile tradition.

Noting the presence of various stakeholders in the textile value chain, the Prime Minister highlighted their intellect towards understanding India’s textile sector as well as being aware of the challenges and aspirations. He also noted the presence of weavers and their generational experience from the ground level who are critical to the value chain. Directing the address towards them, the Prime Minister emphasized the resolve of Viksit Bharat and its four main pillars and highlighted that India’s textile sector is connected to each one namely the poor, youth, farmers and women. Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the significance of an event like Bharat Tex 2024 only grows.

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. The Prime Minister mentioned measures for the Jute and silk sector also. He also talked of new sectors like technical textiles and informed about the National Technical Textiles Mission and scope for the startups in the area.

The Prime Minister threw light on the government’s expansive plans to create seven PM MITRA Parks in various states and underlined the emphasis on the creation of opportunities for the entire textile sector. “Government strives to establish the entire value chain ecosystem in a single place where modern infrastructure with plug and play facilities are made available”, the Prime Minister remarked. He said that it 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 7 out of 10 apparel makers are women and in handloom, 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.

In his welcome address, Union Minister of Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal said that the global textile expo is the largest integrated textile event organised for the first time ever in the country that embodies Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of 5F —- farm to fibre, fibre to factory, factory to fashion and fashion to foreign markets, covering the entire textile value chain. He added that local supply chains need to be strengthened and greater emphasis is required for 3S – skill, speed and scale, to fulfil the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’. Shri Goyal noted that robust supply chains will enable India to achieve a production target of $250 billion along with exports worth $100 billion by 2030. 

Shri Goyal said that the expo has been able to put together and showcase the entire value chain of the textile industry on a global platform and that this will reaffirm India’s position as a global textile powerhouse. The event establishes India as an attractive investment and sourcing destination, he added. He hailed the Prime Minister for not only rallying the nation to support local products through his ‘vocal for local’ mantra but also encouraging them to take the ‘local for global’ initiative.

The Minister said that the government through its various initiatives – PM MITRA, Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, Samarth (Scheme for Capacity Building in Textiles Sector) and National Technical Textiles Mission has provided a huge fillip to the textile industry under the leadership of the Prime Minister. He further said that the textile ministry has formed a new textile advisory group to create an end-to-end connectivity for the cotton and man-made fibre industry that will help maintain balance and create a better synergy in the textile sector.

Shri Goyal noted that millions of Indians have escaped multi-dimensional poverty and consumption in both rural and urban areas is on the rise. The Minister said today the textile industry can gain from the changing consumption patterns of the aspirational young India that have shown preference for spending on other products due to the government’s continuous efforts to keep food inflation in check.

Union Minister of State for Textiles, Smt. Darshana Jardosh and Textile Secretary, Smt. Rachna Shah was also present on the occasion.

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