There can be as much as 1 crore people to be affected by the job cuts, in the textile industry, which is severely hit by the lockdown, if no support packages and relief is provided from the government, according to CMAI. Around 80% of the garment industry is mostly micro, small and medium sized enterprises, consisting of around 3800 members employing over 7 lakh people, most of which does not have the necessary resources to look after them for the next 3-6 months post lockdown. “We have estimated that if no assistance comes from the government, either in terms of wage subsidy or revival package, there could be loss of almost a crore of jobs in the entire textile chains,” said CMAI Chief Mentor Rahul Mehta. He was speaking at a webinar on way forward for brick-and-mortar retail, hospitality and textile industries during and post COVID-19. Financial packages from the government including wage subsidies must be provided, otherwise there would be huge job losses.
If the garment industry closes down, it would impact the entire value chain from fabric supply industry to brand to the zipper and label industry, he said. “If you look at the entire textile industry, I see a job loss of one crore if nothing is done by the government,” he added. He, however, appreciated efforts taken up by the textiles ministry such as asking all leading global companies not to cancel orders from the Indian exporters and such steps send positive vibes to manufacturers, particularly smaller ones. In similar findings, the Retailers Association of India also said that the findings in the trends are same in an internal survey, where 25 percent of the participants have said that if they did not get any support from the government, they may have to wind up their business. It has asked the governments to pause all statutory payments, so that the member of the association could pay salaries and marginal supplies to the necessary. NRAI has also asked for support in terms of capital when the industry resumes operation after the lockdown is lifted.
