After taking initiatives to redeem the commitments made for the first 100 days of the Government, Union Minister for Textiles Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday unveiled a fresh agenda for the remaining days of the first year of the Government.
The new agenda includes upgradation of the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Institute of Textile Management in Coimbatore into an Indian School of Textile Management and Business to provide for more qualified human resources in the form of researchers, industrial engineers, product development managers and trainers.
The upgradation will be carried out in partnership with the industry. Unveiling the new agenda, Mr. Maran said his Ministry would take steps to build the capacities of the industry to meet the international environmental and social norms.
Further, the Ministry would promote research and development in all segments of the industry, including handlooms and handicrafts and create a common technology platform on commercial basis to support adoption of newer technologies for value addition and product diversification.
Noting that India was a leader in the production of organic cotton, he said his Ministry would seek to take advantage of this aspect to garner foreign exchange.
Mr. Maran exuded confidence that the textile and clothing market in the US would come out of recession soon, brightening the prospects for the Indian textile industry, which had been faced with a crisis because of falling demands in the U.S. and Europe in the wake of the global economic melt down.