Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a sweeping expansion of India’s textile sector in her historic ninth Budget, introducing new fibre, employment, sustainability and skilling schemes alongside major support for mega parks and rural clusters
Union Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented her historic ninth Union Budget, unveiling a substantial push for the textile and apparel sector through a series of new schemes and expanded allocations. The minister announced a National Fibre Scheme to strengthen India’s raw material base, a new Employment Scheme aimed at boosting jobs across the value chain, and an upgraded Handloom and Handicrafts Programme to support artisans and preserve traditional crafts.
The National Fibre Scheme aims to build self-reliance in natural fibres such as silk, wool and jute, as well as in man-made and next-generation industrial fibres. The Textile Expansion and Employment Scheme will modernise traditional clusters by providing capital support for machinery, technology upgrades and the creation of common testing and certification centres.
Upskill
The National Handloom and Handicraft Programme (NHHP) will integrate and strengthen existing initiatives while providing focused support to weavers and artisans. Other key components include the TEx-Eco.
She also proposed an initiative focused on sustainability and green manufacturing, along with Samarth 2.0, a transformative initiative aimed at upskilling and empowering the textile workforce in India to enhance skilling and workforce readiness.
The budget further allocated resources for developing mega textile parks to attract investment and scale production, while the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative was highlighted as a key driver for rural textile clusters, signalling a comprehensive strategy to elevate India’s textile ecosystem.
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Sitharaman further said, “Under our first kartavya, to accelerate and sustain economic growth, I propose interventions in six areas: one, scaling up manufacturing in seven strategic and frontier sectors; two, rejuvenating legacy industrial sectors; three, creating champion MSMEs; four, delivering a powerful push for infrastructure; five, ensuring long-term security and stability; and six, developing city economic regions”
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