The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, today participated in the Annual Awards Function of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in New Delhi and congratulated the awardees for their outstanding contributions to India’s apparel export sector.

Addressing the gathering, the Vice-President said that the apparel and textile sector remains a vital pillar of India’s economy, providing direct employment to over 45 million people and supporting more than 100 million livelihoods indirectly. He noted that the sector contributes about 2 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for nearly 11 per cent of manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).

The Vice-President said that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has extended strong and multi-dimensional support to the textiles and apparel industry through progressive policies and schemes such as PM MITRA Parks and the SAMARTH Skill Development Programme. He added that the Prime Minister has laid out a comprehensive Vision 2030 aimed at transforming the sector into a global powerhouse.

He emphasised that government initiatives achieve their true purpose only when industry partners respond with innovation and determination.

Expressing happiness that, in an era defined by global challenges, India’s apparel exporters have demonstrated remarkable resilience and progress, the Vice-President said that the Government has been actively engaging in discussions and initiatives to resolve challenges faced by the sector, including through ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

The Vice-President urged the apparel industry to actively explore new markets such as Asia, Africa and Latin America. He also called upon the industry to focus on value addition, diversify the export basket, reduce import dependence, encourage innovation and research and development, and promote sustainable exports.

The Vice-President observed that the textile sector is labour-intensive and the second-largest source of employment in the country after agriculture. He stressed the need to ensure labour welfare across the industry.

He said that exports in the sector are expected to double in the coming years, creating significant additional employment opportunities. He expressed confidence that the apparel sector will play a leading role in achieving the vision of a Viksit and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Highlighting his close association with the textile industry, the Vice-President noted that he hails from Tiruppur, India’s hosiery and knitwear hub, and has closely witnessed the evolution of the sector. He recalled his experience as a Member of Parliament and Co-Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Textiles under the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, which enabled him to study the sector’s challenges and contribute to policy recommendations.

He also appreciated AEPC’s role as a bridge between the government and the industry and released its coffee table book titled “Threads of Time: Story of India’s Textiles”.

Shri Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister of Industries, Government of NCT of Delhi; Shri Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman, AEPC; Dr. A. Sakthivel, Vice Chairman, AEPC; and other distinguished guests from the textile and apparel industry were present on the occasion.

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PR/ASM