T Rajkumar re-elected as Indian org CITI's chairman for 2021-22

The confederation represents the entire textile value chain through its leading regional and industry associations and 18 major corporate members. Its virtual 63^rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held yesterday, the organisation said in a media release.

Rajkumar is the chairman of the Textile Sector Skill Council (TSC). He is a director at National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the former chairman of The Southern India Mills’ Association and The SIMA Cotton Development Research Association (SIMA CDRA). He is also the chairman and managing Trustee of Global Pathway School, Coimbatore and secretary of Nachimuthu Gounder Rukmani Ammal Charitable Trust, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, apart from being actively involved in various industrial bodies and educational institutions. He also serves as an independent director in Coimbatore Smart City Limited.

Additionally, Rajkumar is a member of the Governing Council of The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) and The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Coimbatore. He is a member in the Academic Council of PSG College of Arts and Science and also a member in the Board of Studies of Bharathiyar University and PSG Institute of Management. He is the joint secretary of Sri Purandaradasar Sangeetha Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, a social and cultural organisation, which is dedicated for the cause of development of Arts and Music. He has also been the former chairman of Board of Trustees of Arulmigu Masani Amman Temple and Charities, Anamalai.

During his Speech in the AGM, Rajkumar thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, Union minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, the former Union minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani, and minister of State for Textiles and Railways, Darshana Vikram Jardosh for making a series of historic announcements for the overall growth of the Indian textiles and clothing (T&C) industry. He said that the pathbreaking decisions will enhance the production capacity of the Indian T&C industry and will go a long way in achieving the ambitious target of increasing the textile business size to $350 billion, including $100 billion exports by 2025-26 and also the target of $44 billion exports of textile products for 2021-22.

The new deputy chairman Rakesh Mehra is the chairman of Banswara Syntex Ltd, Mumbai. Since 2018, he has been the president of Indian Spinners Association (ISA), Mumbai an association of MMF yarn spinners of the country. He is the former chairman of The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC). With his guidance and support, CITI was instrumental in removing the ADD on Polyester Staple Fibre (PSF) and Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF), rationalisation of GST rates and many other policy initiatives benefitting the MMF textile value chain.

The new vice chairman Ashwin Chandran is the chairman and managing director of Precot Meridien Limited. He holds a B.Sc., (Hons) graduate degree in Textile Technology from UMIST, UK and post-graduate (MBA) degree from University of Illinois, USA. He is also a member of Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL), Mumbai and has held the position of the chairman of The Southern India Mills’ Association, Coimbatore for two years during 2019-2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)