Piyush Goyal Thanks the Prime Minister for the Decision to Defer the Increase of GST Slab from 5% to 12% for Textiles Sector while Addressing All India Textiles Association

· Special focus on getting concessional duties for Textile products in all the ongoing FTA negotiations with major countries like UK, UAE, Canada, EU, Australia - Mr. Piyush Goyal

· Goyal asks the Textile industry to work for achieving the target of $ 100 billion exports in a quick time

· Invites Suggestions from Industry Leaders to Strengthen the Textiles Sector Globally.

Union Minister for Textiles, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal has said that Industry and Government are partners in India’s growth story & now, is the time to be a Global Champion in Textiles by taking up bigger & bolder targets. Interacting virtually with the leaders of Textile Industry in India, on 4 January, 2022, Mr. Goyal stated that in this period of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we must all collectively put forth our efforts in one direction to realise our goals. Mr. Goyal asked the Textile industry to work for achieving the target of $ 100 billion exports in a quick time.

Thanking the Pime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister for the decision to defer the increase of tax slab from 5% to 12% for Textiles, taken in the 46th meeting of GST council, Mr. Goyal said that this is a New Year gift for the Textile Industry. He added that the requests of industry stakeholders was considered in present challenging times when the sector is on the path of recovery. He also expressed his gratitude to the textiles leaders who remain connected with the Ministry with all their grievances regarding raising the GST slab in MMF segment.

The Minister mentioned that under Prime Minister, the textile sector has received a new boost to achieve Speed, Skill & Scale. He emphasized that to make India Aatmanirbhar, we need to make our Artisans, Weavers, Farmers & MSMEs Aatmanirbhar.

Talking about several transformational reforms to realise vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat & solidify India’s position on the Global textiles map, the Minister said that step by step we have strengthened textile ecosystem of the nation to fully utilise our competitive & comparative advantage. He said from weavers to women entrepreneurs, every segment has been empowered by these steps.

Mr. Goyal called upon the Textiles Industry Leaders to send suggestions for improving and developing the sector further. He also said that collectively with Subka Saath, Subka Vikas, Subka Prayas and Subka Vishwas we will surely achieve all of our targets.

The Minister also enumerated and suggested the steps of Vikas and Aatmanirbharta. Referring to PLI Scheme for Textiles, he said that PLI will increase the global footprint of India in MMF & Technical Textiles. He said Rs 10,683 cr scheme will create 7.5 Lakhs direct Jobs. He said approval for 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Region & Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks will attract cutting edge technology, investment & generate Rs.1 Lakh direct & Rs.2 lakh indirect employment per park.

Mr. Goyal stated that continuation of RoSCTL scheme up to Mar 2024 will boost export competitiveness. He said RoDTEP for Textiles Products other than Apparel & Made Ups have been covered in RoSCTL. Removal of Anti-Dumping Duty on several key raw material e.g. PTA, Viscose Staple Fibre, Acrylic, Nylon is a boost to man-made fibre based textiles industry, he added.

The Minister mentioned that government is trying to get new markets for textiles through FTA. He informed that in all the ongoing negotiations with major countries like UK, UAE, Canada, EU, Australia there is a special focus on getting concessional duties for Textile products. Talking about SAMARTH Scheme, the Minister said that 71 textile manufacturers, 10 industry associations, 13 state govt agencies & 4 sectoral organisations on-boarded to help skill development & training of Rs. 3.45 lakh beneficiaries. Steps have been taken to on-board weavers on GeM platform to enable them to sell their products directly to Govt, Rs. 1.50 Lakh weavers on-boarded, he added. Under Concessional Credit/Weaver MUDRA Scheme, for financial assistance, Mr. Goyal said that Margin money assistance @20% of loan amount, (max Rs 25,000) per weaver & @ 20% of loan amount, (max Rs 20 lakh) per handloom organization is provided.

Mr. Goyal further said that robust export numbers helping us realise the dream of “Local goes Global; Make in India for the world”. He informed that textiles export increased by 45%, to $16.7 bn in Apr-Nov 2021 w.r.t same period in Apr-Nov 2019.

Referring to the challenging times of COVID pandemic, the Minister said that we have suffered losses but we have also learned many lessons. He said, “The wise learn many things, even from difficult situations”. We have converted the crisis into an opportunity, he added.