phochnavtu

The policy aims to achieve USD 300 billion (over Rs 20 lakh crore) worth of textile exports by 2024-25 and create an additional 35 million jobs.In fact, the Government recently admitted that the USD 48 billion target for textiles and garment exports for 2016-17 may be "hard to achieve", mainly because of less demand in major markets such as the US, EU and China.Soon after, there were media reports of a tussle between Irani and Textiles Secretary Rashmi Verma, an IAS officer of 1982 Bihar cadre and sister of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha. The campaign became a hit as many prominent faces posted selfies sporting handspun clothing on social networking site Twitter.Apparently, differences cropped up between the two ladies on a range of issues from procedural and the administrative to those related to policy.A few days later, Smriti Irani, shunted out of HRD, assumed the mantle of the Textiles Minister.5 billion target.New Delhi: 2016 turned out to be a mixed bag for textiles, as the government unveiled reforms to impart a thrust to the sector, rolled out innovative campaigns like I Wear Handloom, a new Minister at the helm, and a controversy over the appointment of former cricketer Chetan Chauhan as the NIFT chief.Around the same time, Textiles Ministry found itself at the heart of a controversy, with the appointment of Chauhan as the Chairman of NIFT, and many questioning the governments decision, raising doubts over his credentials to lead Indias premier fashion technology institute.

The textiles industry is eagerly awaiting the roll out of the policy in 2017, as it could make Indian garments more competitive in international markets by reducing the cost of production, and all eyes are on Irani, hoping she will infuse fresh momentum into the sector.However, as the year draws to a close, the much-awaited new National Textiles Policy is yet to see the light of day, with the Textiles Ministry still engaged in consultations with stakeholders chalking out nitty-gritty of its roadmap.Irani, who had a successful stint as a TV actress before taking plunge into politics and fought unsuccessfully against Rahul Gandhi sofa fabric factory Manufacturers from Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, also launched Pehchan, a move to register and provide ID cards to handicraft artisans.The reforms were approved within the Rs 6,006 crore budget for the apparel package announced earlier.Irani tried to steer clear of the controversy by coming up with innovative ideas like the I Wear Handloom campaign to show support for Indian weavers.