India Aims to Expand Textile Manufacturing Beyond Traditional Hubs

India is working to expand its textile manufacturing base beyond traditional hubs such as Tirupur, Surat, Panipat and Ludhiana, by engaging with states that currently have limited industry presence.

The textiles ministry is in talks with Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Jharkhand to support new manufacturing clusters, an official said.

New Delhi: India is seeking to broaden its textile manufacturing footprint beyond established hubs such as Tirupur and Surat, with the textiles ministry intensifying outreach to states with limited industry presence.

"There are discussions with Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Jharkhand to facilitate development of textiles manufacturing in these states," an official said.

The government is looking to attract more investments and ensure smoother implementation under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles, the person said. The sector is among the country's largest employment generators, directly employing more than 45 million people. At present, textiles manufacturing is largely concentrated in Tirupur, Surat, Panipat and Ludhiana. With the rollout of the third round of PLI, the ministry has set up a dedicated unit that will directly interface with companies and states.

"The idea is to remain engaged...(and) address any issues on the ground," the official said. "We have contacted states where companies are setting up production facilities to ensure their smooth implementation."

India unveiled the PLI scheme for textiles in September 2021 to boost domestic manufacturing of man-made fibre apparel, fabrics and technical textiles, while attracting fresh investments into the sector.