The Vice President, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, gave away special Textiles Awards at a function held in New Delhi to 17 persons for their outstanding contribution in different fields of the textiles sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President said that the textiles sector is indeed playing a pivotal role in the economy and it needs to be recognized and respected by all. The Textiles Ministry has, in fact, taken several initiatives during the last 4½ years, which will yield rich dividends and help India become one of the three largest economies of the world.
He expressed hope that the felicitation of awardees would inspire many others in the field to fare better. There is no dearth of talent in the country, and every effort should be made to tap the available talent by proper skilling and encouragement. Hence the stress on improving the quality of products to become competitive in international markets and creating a brand for Indian textiles products, he added.
Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani, Textiles Minister, in her address, said that her Ministry is for the first time giving awards to those who have made significant contributions to the textiles sector. The Ministry would seriously address the issues raised during the day-long ‘National Conclave on Accomplishments and Way Forward for Textiles Sector’, which concluded with the award ceremony presided over by the Vice President.
The inaugural session was followed by panel discussions on technical textiles, ease of doing textiles business, handicrafts, access to global markets and supply chains and fashionizing weaves.
The two-day outreach programme was launched the previous evening with the presentation of eight special recognition awards for the excellent work in textiles sector. In addition, 16 artisans were felicitated for their enrichment of the handloom sector with their creative work in weaving and printing. The event was followed by the Textiles Show-Artisan Speak.
The last 4½ years have been transformational for the textile industry. Industry-specific policies, technological upgradation, focus on research & development, investment in human resources and strategic intervention for market promotion have made Indian textiles a most desirable and trusted brand at the global level.