New Delhi: “Under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles, for the first time in the history of India, we have dedicated to the nation 207 HSN codes for technical textiles. I see this as a function of unleashing the potential of not only technical textiles but also of an industry which impacts both our farm life and our space pursuits. This decision alone can enable the sector to grow to a market size of 2 lakh crore rupees by 2020-2021”. This was stated by the Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, at the National Conclave on Technical Textiles, jointly organized by the Ministry of Textiles and FICCI, in Mumbai today. Stating that the notification is a milestone which is significant for the industry, the Minister thanked the industry who have guided and inspired the Government in this initiative.
To monitor the data of import and export and in order to provide any fiscal support to the technical textile sector, the first step was to recognize and notify separately the technical textiles items spread from chapter 1 to 99 of HSN classification book. In absence of clear classification of technical textiles, there was confusion and many genuine manufactures were not getting various incentives being allowed to technical textile sector by Central and State Governments. To fulfill the long-standing demand of industry to declare Technical Textile items as separate category, Government of India has notified 207 HSN Codes as Technical Textiles. This step will give a major boost to the Technical Textile sector in India and it is expected that this step of Government will act as a catalyst for achieving the Market Size of Technical Textiles up to Rs.2.00 lakh crore by 2020-21.
Speaking of the historic initiative of Ayushman Bharat, the Minister said that the government is poised to unleash close to 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres across the country. These will be in need of medical textiles. Given standardization and need for quality control, our domestic manufacturers can compete and contribute to the med tech segment, said the Minister.
Irani announced that an Innovation Centre for Technical Textiles will be set up at the national capital next month, with industry support. She said that steps like this can help us go beyond the 2 lakh crore target for the sector.
Wishing the best for the deliberations and debate for the day, the Minister hoped that the way forward that is determined the contribution during the Conclave will be a milestone not only for the technical textiles industry but also for the future of India and the Indian economy.
The event was also a curtain raiser for TechnoTex 2019, to be held in August 2019.
