At a recent seminar of the Textiles Committee held in Mumbai, Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh stressed that worldwide competitiveness within the Viksit Bharat 2047 era demands zero-defect manufacturing, traceability and environmental adherence.
The Textiles Committee, a statutory body operating under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, marked its 62nd Foundation Day at its Mumbai headquarters.
Speaking at the event, Giriraj Singh praised the Textiles Committee for progressing from a conventional pre-shipment inspection body during the 1960s into an enabler and driver of modern trade, research and quality compliance.
He drew attention to the growth of Textile Export Facilitation Centres (TEFCs), designed to streamline FTA utilisation and export clearances for MSMEs, and urged the Committee to place Indian textile certification on equal footing with the foremost international accreditation benchmarks.
Sanjay Savkare, Minister of Textiles, Government of Maharashtra, commended the synergy linking the State’s industrial powerloom clusters, including Bhiwandi, Ichalkaranji and Solapur, with the Committee’s testing infrastructure situated in Mumbai.
Savkare underlined the scope for joint initiatives spanning skill development, cluster-level testing clinics and sustainable waste recovery.
Dr M. Beena, Development Commissioner for Handlooms, emphasised the crucial part played by the Committee in safeguarding genuine weaver craftsmanship through the India Handloom Brand (IHB) and Handloom Mark, alongside protecting handloom products under the Geographical Indications Act, 1999.
Vrunda Desai, Textile Commissioner and Vice Chairperson, Textiles Committee, highlighted the organisation’s comprehensive value-chain interventions, spanning GI tagging and post-GI handholding through to the establishment of India’s first municipal-scale Textile Recovery Facility (TRF), delivered in partnership with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).
Manisha Chatterjee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, spotlighted the Committee’s leadership within green chemistry through the UNIDO-GEF Project — Eliminating Hazardous Chemicals from the Textile and Fashion Supply Chain.
She further highlighted the Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SAMARTH), launched with the aim of converting unskilled manpower into a skilled workforce spanning various segments of the textile industry.
Since its founding in 1964, the Textiles Committee has steadily broadened its technical and developmental remit in response to the shifting requirements of the domestic and global textile industry.
The Committee runs a nationwide network of NABL-accredited eco-testing and physical testing laboratories, delivering specialised restricted substance analysis and other testing services at accessible rates, particularly for the benefit of MSMEs.
The Committee has likewise developed and supported a range of national branding and authenticity frameworks spanning different segments of the textile value chain.
Handloom Mark: Created a brand for India’s handloom products and gave them a premium identity in both domestic and international markets.
This collective identity serves as a symbol of authenticity for handwoven products and acts as a bridge between India’s handloom heritage and the global stage.
India Handloom Brand (IHB): By enforcing rigorous zero-defect quality benchmarks and chemical safety standards, you have provided discerning global buyers with certified, eco-friendly luxury while guaranteeing fair returns to our handloom weavers.
Jute Mark India (JMI): The Textiles Committee has given India’s golden fibre a contemporary, standardized identity, accelerating our transition toward biodegradable packaging and diversified lifestyle products.
Bharat Wool Mark: By creating objective grading and quality standards for indigenous wool, the organisation has empowered pastoral communities across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal, and Uttarakhand, bridging the gap between pastoralists and modern apparel mills.
Pashmina Mark: Through state-of-the-art DNA testing, microscopic scanning electron microscopy, and secure digital tracking, the Committee has safeguarded the sacred Cashmere heritage of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir against synthetic blends and counterfeit products.
The Textiles Committee has also undertaken initiatives to strengthen the quality and market credibility of raw cotton.
Under its Star-Rated Ginning and Pressing Factories initiative, the Committee has classified 1,463 modernised ginneries on a one-to-five-star scale with the objective of helping spinning mills and traders source contamination-free and standardised raw cotton.
The initiative has enabled ginneries to enhance their market credibility and command premium value.
The Committee also conducts national consumer purchase behaviour surveys and analyses international trade flows to generate inputs for bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and domestic industrial policy, thereby strengthening the availability of market intelligence for the textile sector.
As the Textiles Committee enters its 63rd year, it has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening digital traceability through QR and NFC technologies, expanding decentralised testing camps across remote handloom and powerloom clusters, and promoting circular economy solutions across urban local bodies and industrial parks.
Through these initiatives, the Textiles Committee continues to contribute to strengthening quality, authenticity, sustainability and global competitiveness across India’s textile value chain.
Image courtesy: PIB
