India's first textiles university may come up in Surat

18 Feb '15

2 min read

For skill development in the textile industry, the Gujarat government is planning to set up a textiles university in man-made fibre textile hub of Surat.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the 2,000-acres Diamond Research and Mercantile (Dream) city near Surat earlier this week, Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel said textiles is another important industry in Surat after diamonds and the government is planning to set up a textiles university in the city.

Patel asked textile industry players to come forward with a proposal for setting up the university and added that the state government would give them full assistance.

However, a formal announcement for setting up a textiles university can only be made after a bill in this regard is passed in the state assembly and the formal procedure is complete.

Though India accounts for 4.5 per cent of the world’s textile trade, it does not have a full-fledged textiles university, while Pakistan established one such university in 1959 and Bangladesh in 2010.

The textile industry in Surat has the value-chain from spinning, weaving and processing to garmenting and exports. The textile industry employs around 1.5 lakh people and its annual turnover is estimated at about Rs 50,000 crore.

Surat is known for production of synthetic sarees, dress materials, and home textiles, which have demand in southern Indian markets. (RKS)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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