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To encourage manufacturing activity in smaller cities and towns, the government is likely to consider the option of lowering the minimum investment and turnover criteria under the ₹1.97 lakh crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in sectors such as textiles, where second edition of the scheme are being drafted, and also some new sectors, like toys and furniture, which may get incorporated, according to sources. “In the review meeting for PLIs that is being convened by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal next week, the proposal for lower eligibility criteria for investments in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities made by several industry sectors is likely to be taken up for consideration,” a source tracking the matter told businessline. All stakeholders, including representatives from line Ministries and Departments, the industry, Niti Aayog, and Project Management Agencies, will participate to give their assessment of the scheme so far and share suggestions on the alterations needed, the source said. The PLI scheme, announced in 2020 to attract investments in 14 sunrise and strategic schemes over a five-year period, has had a slow start, with disbursals of just ₹2,900 crore so far out of the corpus of ₹1.97 lakh crore. While a handful of sectors, such as large-scale electronics comprising mobile phones, pharmaceuticals, and food processing, are doing well, there are six sectors, including white goods, automobiles, auto parts, textiles, solar PV modules, and ACC batteries, where disbursals are negligible or yet to happen. Small investors’ plaint “Industry representatives in certain sectors, including textiles and food processing, have been complaining about the high threshold levels of investments and turnover for eligibility as they are a disincentive for smaller investors. Lowering the thresholds for Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could allow smaller investors to benefit from the scheme and also spread production activities and create employment across the country. This can be done in the new editions of the scheme, like the one being planned for textiles,” the source said. DPIIT The option of offering lower eligibility criteria for Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could also be considered for newer sectors with high employment potential that may be brought under the scheme, such as toys and furniture, the source added.
Source: The Hindu business line
A textile city will be developed in Chennai on public private partnership, said Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi. The Minister told The Hindu that the textile city will come up on 100 acres and a consultant has been appointed to carry out a feasibility study. The city will be only to market textile and apparel products. It will have space for product launches, design studio, etc. “It will be an one stop destination (for all textile products),” he said. Mr. Gandhi visited a weaving shed of Tamil Nadu Textile Corporation and chaired a meeting of the technical advisory committee for the sector here on Thursday. He told The Hindu that the government will also develop an integrated textile park in Salem on 119 acres. The facility will accommodate handloom and units of the entire textile supply chain. Further, the State government recently approved seven textile mini parks. Each park will come up on two acres and have minimum three units. The government gives ₹ 2.5 crore subsidy for each park. For the handloom sector, it plans 10 mini parks, including one in Sirumugai, Coimbatore district. The aim is to upgrade the handloom products into premium items, attract younger generation weavers to the profession, and link the weaving clusters to retailers. The Minister said the State government has launched a project in the Nilgiris district to promote Toda embroidery products. It has tied up with the National Institute of Design to train more people in the embroidery work and to expand the colour range, design, and products of the Toda tribal people. These products will be sold at the Cooptex outlets. When asked about demand slowdown affecting the textile and clothing sector, he said there are reports that export orders are picking up. Mr. Gandhi earlier told press persons that the weaving shed here has 12 air jet looms and two more will be added. There are plans to replace powerlooms with 10 air jet looms and operate them using solar energy. The weaving units cater to the school uniform orders and also make other commercial products. The Tamil Nadu Textile Corporation units will soon start producing medical textiles.
Source: The Hindu
Union Minister Piyush Goyal has urged the industry to collaborate and partner for research and development and innovation to jointly achieve greater strides in the textiles sector. He was chairing the Industry Interaction on 'Investment Opportunities in the Textiles Industry under PM MITRA Scheme' here on Tuesday.
Goyal commended industry for enthusiasm to set up & expand businesses in upcoming PM MITRA The Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution also praised Gujarat, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and UP for providing a thriving ecosystem for textiles manufacturing. Goyal commended the industry for their enthusiasm to set up and expand businesses in the upcoming Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks.
Minister encouraged industry to take benefit from existing attractive schemes of Ministry of Textiles The minister further encouraged the industry to take benefit from the existing attractive schemes of the Ministry of Textiles, including the National Technical Textiles Mission and Scheme for Capacity Building in the Textile Sector (Samarth). He also suggested setting up a dedicated Invest India desk in the Ministry of Textiles to assist and handhold investors looking to set up or expand their manufacturing base to meet products are manufactured in the upcoming parks.
Minister emphasised need for phase-by-phase development "The Minister emphasised the need for phase-by-phase development of these parks for efficient utilisation of resources and better integration of the textile value chain. It was suggested that two 5 member Action Teams will be set up to study ESG norms and model park design in line with global leading practices for upcoming units in the PM MITRA parks,"the Textiles Ministry said.
5F vision Inspired by the 5F vision (Farm to fibre, fibre to factory, factory to fashion, fashion to foreign) of the Prime Minister of building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and positioning India strongly on the global textiles map, the scheme for setting up of 7 PM MITRA Parks was announced in Union Budget for 2021-22.
PM Mitra scheme PM MITRA scheme will offer the opportunity to create an Integrated Textiles Value Chain right from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing, and printing to garment manufacturing at one location and will reduce logistics cost of Industry. It is expected to generate around one lakh direct and two lakh indirect employment per park, spreading over 1,000 acres each and attracting proposed investments of around Rs 70,000 crore. These parks are envisaged to be located at sites that have inherent strength for the textile industry to flourish and have necessary linkages to succeed.
Source: The psuwatch.com
A textile and apparel industry, located in the Hanumakonda district, of Telangana has been able treat its textile wastewater at a very reasonable cost. Thanks to an energy-efficient and eco-friendly technology developed using, biosurfactants and membrane technology. Textile effluent is heavily contaminated with pollutants such as dyes, dissolved solids, suspended solids and toxic metals and there is a need for robust, efficient technologies to treat such effluent before they are discharged into the environment. NIT Warangal along with Prime Textiles, Rampur located in Kakatiya Mega Textile Park (KMTP), with support from IMPRINT, a joint effort of MoE and SERB, developed a pilot-scale textile effluent treatment plant using biosurfactants (BS), cavitation (a process in which pressure variations in a liquid can in a short period of time cause countless small cavities to form and then implode--C), and membrane (M) technology. Initially, the scientists Prof. Shirish H. Sonawane, NIT Warangal, Dr. Murali Mohan Seepana, NIT Warangal, Dr. Ajey Kumar Patel, NIT Warangal and Dr. Mousumi Debnath, Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) developed individual systems at the laboratories and the process parameters were optimized. The biosurfactant to be used in Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) was extracted from microorganisms isolated from textile effluent and textile effluent contaminated soil by MUJ. The use of BS in MBBR helped in dye removal and was effective in reducing operational time and cost (with respect to other biological treatment methods). Cavitation (C), an advanced oxidation process (AOP), aided in reducing installation cost as well as reducing carbon footprint. The ability of the technology to generate oxidizing radicals in-situ, significantly reduced the reliance on external oxidizing agents. On the other hand, modifying the membrane (M) surface using boehmite sol synthesized using sol-gel process, decreased the pore size from micro-scale to nanoscale and led to a significant improvement in its performance. After optimizing individual systems, a pilot-scale setup has been set up at the Prime Textiles premises.
Source: The dst.gov.in
Bank branches will operate in industrial areas on 27th & 28th June from 10 am to 2 pm, in order to facilitate the timely disbursement of wages, bonuses, and allowances to garment workers ahead of Eid-ul-Adha. The Department of Off-site Supervision of the central bank recently issued a circular to top executives of scheduled banks, announcing that bank branches in Dhaka metropolitans, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Bhaluka, and Narayanganj will remain open for the entire day on Friday and Saturday. This decision aims to ensure the smooth disbursement of wages, bonuses, and other allowances to garment workers. Furthermore, the central bank has instructed the banks to keep the bank branches in Chattogram metropolitan and industrial areas open. They have also requested that the banks coordinate with local administration to ensure sufficient security measures are in place at these branches. The auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Adha will be celebrated nationwide on 29th June. To allow for festive celebrations, the government has extended the Eid-ul-Adha holidays from 27th – 30th June, granting a fourday break. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting held at the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Source: Apparel resources
India and the United States have agreed to end six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation and New Delhi will also lift retaliatory customs duties on 28 American products. This is likely to shore up trade between the nations and also help Indian exporters get key tax advantages. The decisions come amid Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's State Visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US, in 2018, had imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import taxes on certain steel and aluminium products, respectively, on grounds of national security. In retaliation, India in June 2019 imposed customs duties on 28 American products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, apples, boric acid, and diagnostic reagents. United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced that the United States and the Republic of India have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization. "India also agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs which it had imposed in response to the Section 232 national security measures on steel and aluminium," Tai said on Thursday. It added that these tariff cuts will restore and expand market opportunities for US agricultural producers and manufacturers. "Today's agreement represents the culmination of intensified bilateral engagement over the last two years, including through the US-India Trade Policy Forum, to deepen our economic and trade ties," Tai said. "As a result of our work, US agricultural producers and manufacturers will now enjoy renewed access to a critical global market and we will strengthen our trade relationship with one of our closest partners. I look forward to continuing to work with my counterpart, (India's Commerce and Industry) Minister (Piyush) Goyal, as we identify additional ways to bring our people and our economies together," she added. The six disputes include three initiated by India and as many by the US. These include countervailing measures on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India, certain measures relating to solar cells and modules, measures relating to the renewable energy sector, export-related measures, certain measures on steel and aluminium products, and additional duties on some products from the US. According to trade experts, both countries can resolve the disputes on mutually agreed terms and later inform the Geneva-based WTO about the same. The US had filed a complaint in the WTO about India's support measures to its export sector under different schemes. In 2019, a WTO dispute panel ruled that India's export measures are inconsistent with global trade norms. The US is the largest trading partner of India. In 2022-23, the bilateral goods trade increased to USD 128.8 billion as against USD 119.5 billion in 2021-22. According to WTO rules, a member country can file a case in the Geneva-based multilateral body if they feel that a particular trade measure is against the norms of the world body. Bilateral consultation is the first step to resolving a dispute. If both sides are not able to resolve the matter through consultation, either of them can approach the establishment of a dispute settlement panel. The panel's ruling or report can be challenged by WTO's appellate body. Interestingly, the appellate body is not functioning because of differences among member countries to appoint its members. Several disputes are already pending with this body. The US has been blocking the appointment of the members.
Source: Economic Times
India has communicated its unwillingness to dilute its stance on data, intellectual property and government procurement to the European Union and the United Kingdom as part of ongoing trade agreement talks with them, officials said. India is firm on its red lines on crossborder data flows as there is no ecommerce policy at present, while any commitments on data exclusivity and patent extensions would impact the manufacturing and distribution of generic medicines, they said. On government procurement, India plans to stick to its stance to continue to reserve 25% for medium and small enterprises, officials said. "The digital space and intellectual property rights are evolving areas. The red lines like data are to be kept away," one of them told ET. The IPR red line is of data exclusivity, which EU is seeking since long. It is a provision that would hamper production of cheap generic medicines in the country, officials said. The UK and the EU have sought amendment in India's Patents Act to allow 'evergreening' of patents, especially in the pharmaceuticals sector. Section 3(d) of the Act prohibits the grant of 'evergreening' patents, which are additional patents for a drug with no therapeutic benefit and serve only to increase the term of patent monopoly. "Patent monopolising is a red line for us and that's clearly conveyed because we want generics while the EU is strong in patented drugs," said the official quoted above. In government procurement, India has stated that it can't compromise on the comforts given to small and medium enterprises. Experts said India needs to be cautious about any commitments in services trade leading to cross-border data flows. "Even if the UK shows flexibility on the digital front, India needs to be careful and not cede grounds in the services chapter," a trade expert said. Similarly, any commitments on digital trade will mark a permanent shift in India's trade policy stance on ecommerce at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) where it is opposed to any binding commitments besides having implications for India's security. India has so far refrained from making any international commitments on digital trade in order to protect its policy space to design national digital sector policies in the future including on digital industrialisation.
Source: Economic Times
India’s economic activity continued to expand in May thanks to buoyant domestic demand, assuring policymakers that rates can be kept higher for longer though the biggest risk now is heat waves and belownormal rains. The needle on a dial measuring the socalled Animal Spirits stayed at six for a second month even as some indicators such as exports and tax collections showed signs of weakness. While four of the eight high-frequency indicators compiled by Bloomberg showed improvement, three worsened slightly and one was little changed. Robust demand and moderating raw material costs are helping the South Asian nation grow faster than most major economies in the world. It’s giving room to the Reserve Bank of India to keep borrowing costs higher until inflation is firmly under control. The central bank, which left its benchmark rate unchanged this month, expects the economy to grow 6.5% in the current financial year, but professional forecasters expect a slower rate of expansion on the uneven Here are more details from the animal spirits barometer, which uses a threemonth weighted average to smooth out volatility in single-month readings:
Business Activity Purchasing managers’ surveys showed manufacturing activity hit a 31-month high in May, “backed by record expansion in input stocks,” according to S&P Global Inc. Although services activity slowed from a near 13-year high in April, it was still faster than any other month and keeps the composite index at a high for a second straight month. The data was a “compelling testament to prevailing demand resilience,” said Pollyanna De Lima, economics associate director at S&P Global Market Intelligence. But inflation remains a challenge and “long-waited cuts to interest rates — which could aid business strategies, budgeting and investment plans — appear more distant,” she said
Exports Outbound shipments continued to remain a drag on the economy, falling for a sixth month. Sluggish demand from buyers overseas dragged down exports by 10.3% in May, while imports fell 6.6%, taking the trade deficit to a five-month high. The slowdown reached India’s booming services sector too, with export Moderating services export growth “could result in weaker urban consumption demand, due to slower information technology hiring, but the balance of payments impact is manageable,” Nomura Holdings Inc. economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi said after the trade data was released last week.
Consumer Activity The RBI’s decision to withdraw the 2,000-rupee notes from circulation gave further boost to liquidity in the banking system before the monetary authority started mopping up for better transmission of rates. Overall bank credit growth slowed to 15.42% from 15.90% a month ago, as companies borrowed less. Goods and services tax collections fell from a record 1.87 trillion rupees ($22.6 billion) in April to 1.57 trillion rupees in May, rising 12% from a year ago. The mop-up at a three-month low indicated some moderation in demand amid rising inequality, as well as lower revenue growth for firms amid cooling inflation. The demand was still robust in other pockets, with retail sales of vehicles jumping 10% in May, recovering from a fall of 1.4% fall in the previous month, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations.
Market Sentiment Electricity consumption, a widely used proxy to measure demand in industrial and manufacturing sectors, jumped from April as temperatures soared. Peak demand in May rose to 204 gigawatt from 178 at the end of April. India’s unemployment rate fell to a three-month low of 7.70%, from 8.50% in April, as people dropped out of the labor force. Surge in sales also helped companies expand their workforce.
Source: Economic Times
INTERNATIONAL
DOMO Chemicals, a global supplier of polyamide-based engineered material solutions and services, has published its latest annual Sustainability Report, detailing progress on its sustainability journey, including notable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. DOMO’s mission is to engineer polyamide solutions that contribute to a better, more sustainable world. In publishing its second annual Sustainability Report, DOMO enters a new phase in its decarbonization quest, with confidence in its long-term aspiration to set the standard for sustainability in the industry by 2030. “DOMO is pursuing a strategy of sustainable value growth and strives to become, by 2030, a benchmark for sustainable development and social responsibility, and to be recognized among the best in our industry,” said Yves Bonte, Chief Executive Officer, DOMO Chemicals. “We are proud to have made significant progress on our sustainability journey in 2022, together with all our stakeholders.” DOMO’s 2022 Sustainability Report was prepared for the first time in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Standards, the most widely recognized reporting framework for sustainability. DOMO also became a signatory to the Responsible Care Charter in 2022, joining forces to strengthen sustainability within the global chemicals industry. Notably, the Sustainability Report details DOMO’s achievements in 2022 toward realizing its 2030 sustainability goals. In terms of decarbonization and broader environmental achievements, against a 2019 baseline, the company: Reduced scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 27%, making significant progress toward its target of 40% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050 Increased renewable electricity throughout operations to 12% Reduced waste by 24% Lowered water intake by 4.5%.
In addition, as a leading provider of polyamide-based sustainable and circular solutions, DOMO: Achieved more than 11% of engineered materials sales based on sustainable feedstock, making excellent progress toward its 2030 target of 20% Allocated 25% of research and development resources to enhanced recycling Moreover, fostering talent and ensuring the well-being of its workforce as a responsible employer is essential for sustainable growth, and 2022 highlights include: Increased share of women in senior positions from 22% in 2021 to 30% in 2022 Providing a safe and inclusive working environment that encourages personal and professional development as well as a global safety culture “Our 2022 Sustainability Report summarizes a full year of achievements and our inspiring sustainability journey will continue,” said Bouchra Caret-Rhers, Sustainability Director, DOMO Chemicals. “Our focus remains on making progress on our decarbonization roadmap, partnering to develop sustainable and circular solutions and offering a safe and inclusive work environment for our employees.”
Source: Textile world
The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), Sri Lanka’s garment manufacturing body, has praised German textile firms for the continuing support offered to its troubled garment industry. Over the last year, the country's garment manufacturers have reported a drop in orders from global retailers and brands which has further squeezed factories still reeling from the pandemic.
Source: The Eco textile
Local apparel entrepreneurs have invited businessmen from India and other Asian countries to explore investment opportunities in the Bangladesh textile industry based on non-cotton fabric and man-made fibre as the country needs huge investment in this sector. "There is still 15% shortfall in knitted fabrics, and 60% in woven fabrics which Bangladesh needs to import," said Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), in the inaugural session of "Intex South Asia Bangladesh", an international apparel textile sourcing show in the capital's International Convention City Bashundhara on Thursday. Faruque Hassan said the textile industry in Bangladesh still does not have various raw materials like spandex, rayon, viscose, and other man-made fibres, so there is a huge investment opportunity in this sector. He also pointed out some of the government steps – such as allowing four more land ports to import cotton and yarn from India, and partial shipments – to promote trade between the two countries. "Such policy reforms would definitely enhance our capacity immensely," Faruque Hassan said. The BGMEA president also urged India to set up a research facility that would be a centre for innovation. "India's excellence in apparel manufacturing, productivity, research and development, and innovation has positioned itself as a knowledge hub in the Asian region. This is an area where the South Asian nations may collaborate further," Faruque Hassan. Addressing the foreign investors, Mohammed Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, "Invest in the readymade garment's backward linkage industry, as well as in woven and non-cotton fabric industry to cater to the huge local demand." Worldex has organised the 11th edition of the "Intex South Asia Bangladesh", where more than 100 yarn, textile, dye, and chemical companies are showcasing their products and innovations. Most of the companies participating in the exposition are India-based, while companies based in Bangladesh, China, Russia, and the United States are also showing their products. The exhibition will end on Saturday (23 June). Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi virtually joined the programme as the chief guest, while Indian Powerloom Development and Export Promotion Council Chairman Vishwanath Agarwal, Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council Joint Director Murali Balkrishna, and Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association President Kazi Iftequer Hossain, among others, also delivered speeches at the programme.
Source: The tbsnews.net
Co-founder of Cheshire-based Meryl Fabrics, a pioneer in hi-tech sustainable textiles and owners of the first in-house circular economy offering in the industry, has been announced as a NW regional finalist in a trio of categories in the prestigious Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023. Kevin Simpson has been honoured with the accolades of Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year, The Maker and Creator of the Year and Equity Backed Entrepreneur of the Year in the highly regarded awards initiative which ‘celebrates the exceptional achievements and impact of entrepreneurs across the United Kingdom, showcasing their outstanding contributions to their industries and communities. ‘. The impressive recognition follows a record year of awards in 2022 for Meryl Fabrics, which chalked up an impressive 11 winner, highly commended and finalist trophies presented by international and UK bodies in recognition of their firm’s major achievements in achieving sustainability with textile innovation. And following on from this the pioneering firm has secured another 4 major finalist accolades in the first quarter of 2023. Most notably the firm was named Winner of the Circular and Recycling Award, National Sustainability Awards 2022; Winner – Industry Award for Sustainability, Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide Ltd (PCIAW) and Winner of the Sustainability Award, Med-Tech Innovation 2022. Kevin Simpson, Co-Founder of Meryl Fabrics commented: “It is an honour to receive such distinguished and much-coveted recognition for our efforts to revolutionise the way we think about, use and dispose of textiles. Our company is hugely passionate about mitigating the adverse impact that the textile industry is having on our environment, with the development of highly innovative yarns and fabrics which do not release microplastics, are manufactured with minimal water consumption and no use of chemicals, and are 100% recyclable.” Driven by problem solving, the award-winning Meryl Fabrics uses Nylstar Hydrogen bonding technology to enhance the molecular structure of fibres; seal-in microplastics within the yarn and improve the durability of garments. Their continual innovation in Meryl Eco Dye offers a waterless dyeing process, saving thousands of litres of water during manufacture of fabric as they re-engineer the present of apparel. Meryl Fabrics eeks to replace cotton with its exceptionally soft touch fabrics that feature natural stretch and moisture management properties that are designed to be recycled and offer other businesses a fully circular model in one place.
Source: Textile world
