-By Samuel Joseph
It was one of the grandest events for all related to the textile industry. It was the Textile Committee’s 58th Foundation Day, organised by the Committee at its Auditorium at Prabhadevi in Mumbai. The auditorium overflowed with the crowd consisting of luminaries from the textile industry, Government officials and even fashion fraternity. Every segment of the textile industry was represented in a glittering event filled with music, and speeches from the top echelons of the Indian textile industry. The Foundation Day fete even had a cake cutting ceremony.
It was a special occasion for the Textiles Committee, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India celebrating its 58th Foundation Day on August 22, 2022. It took hardly a few hours for the celebration, but the Textile Committee organised it much to the satisfaction of the industry.
Mr. U.P. Singh, Secretary (Textiles) graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Ms. RoopRashi, Textile Commissioner & Vice-Chairperson, Textiles Committee, addressed the gathering as Guest of Honour.
Among the industry leaders, Mr. Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Kotak & Co., Dr. Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, CMD, CCI, Mr. Mahesh Kudav, Founder & MD, Venus Safety & Health Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Anil Jauhri, Former CEP, NABCB and Ms. Meher Castelino Mistry, former Miss India 1964 and Fashion Expert addressed the gathering as Special Guest. Mr.Ajit B Chavan, Secretary, Textiles Committee welcomed the guests and other dignitaries.
Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest, Secretary (Textiles), Government of India appreciated the contribution of the Textiles Committee over the years and underlined the need for the Committee to strive to be able to provide unique services which no other entity is able to provide at similar cost and quality. He also stressed upon that the Committee should work for strengthening the sectoral growth for the best interest of the country.
Mr. Singh highlighted that trends in the market are changing swiftly and that the organization should hence adapt to the changes. “The requirements of the industry are changing; while regulations have come down, quality consciousness has risen. If we adapt and evolve with the changes, the relevance of Textiles Committee will continue to be as high as earlier. The Committee must be aware of new developments of the industry such as emerging export destinations, to maintain its relevance”.
Mr. Singh pointed out the importance of sustainability and circularity in Textile Value Chain (TVC) and the need to mainstream them. In the current scenario, the entire process of making the product is as important as the final product.Citing the example of the toy-making sector, Shri Singh said that quality consciousness is one of the key things the government is looking at. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has on several occasions underlined that the toy sector of India has changed and export has increased drastically, surpassing imports. Hence, quality intervention by Textiles Committee would be of great help for these stakeholders.
Ms. Roop Rashi, Textiles Commissioner & Vice-Chairperson of Textiles Committee expressed satisfaction that Textiles Committee has evolved as a quality organisation working for the inculcating quality culture among the key actors of the Textile Value Chain (TVC).Textiles Committee can bring out a product which enables them to conform to the requirements of the international brands”. She further stated that the Textiles Committee is working in synergy with other Ministries for funding of innovative ideas in the textile sector.
Addressing the Foundation Day function, Mr.Ajit B. Chavan, Secretary and CEO, Textiles Committee highlighted that the Textiles Committee successfully transformed itself in the post-liberalization era, from a regulator to a facilitator of growth. “Textiles Committee has been rendering services through its state-of-the-art testing facilities, economic research, multi-management consultancies, export promotion and quality assurance for the best interest of the Textile Trade & Industry.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Kotak & Co. congratulated Textiles Committee for its contribution towards strengthening the Cotton Textile Value Chain of the country and bringing desired results for the sectoral growth. He specifically informed about his association with the UNCTAD DFID project implemented by Textiles Committee for building the desired capacity of the sector to mitigate global challenges being emanated out of globalisation.
Mr. Mahesh Kudav, Founder & MD, Venus Safety & Health Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai highlighted on “Think Global Act Global” and how protech segment contributed for the safety of countrymen during the Covid Pandemic. He counted how Textiles Committee supported the industry by coming out with test methods and provided other supports during the Covid period and emphasised that Textiles Committee should contribute for emerging areas like Technical Textiles.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anil Jauhri, Former CEO, NABCB, appreciated the efforts of Textiles Committee put in during last 58 years for inculcating quality culture in the sector. He also stressed upon the need to develop institutionalise & regulatory framework for the best interest of the textile industry of the country and the organisation is well placed to take up this challenged.
A Souvenir of the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) which incidentally celebrated 52nd Foundation Day was also released on the occasion. Speaking on the event, Mr. Pradeep Kumar Agarwal, CMD, CCI also congratulated both the organisation for their contributions to the nation building and strengthening two important sectors like agriculture in cultivation of cotton and textiles for value addition. The inauguration function was followed by cultural extravaganza and customized Fashion Show on the theme “Indian Textiles: From Tradition to Modernity”.
The entire event concluded with a brief cultural programme and also a fashion show.
