THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JULY 9, 2026

Integrated Textile and Apparel Development Centres (ITADCs) are being transformed into one-stop growth hubs to provide end-to-end support to textile entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and other stakeholders, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh said on Thursday. He said the revamped centres would play a pivotal role in strengthening India's textile ecosystem through skill development, technology adoption, innovation, credit facilitation, export promotion and market linkages.

The Minister made the remarks while chairing a high-level review meeting to assess the progress of key initiatives aimed at modernising the textile sector through technology upgradation, institutional reforms and enhanced industry support. The meeting was attended by Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao, Textile Commissioner Vrunda Manohar Desai and senior officials of the Ministry of Textiles.

Reviewing the transformation of the erstwhile Powerloom Service Centres into ITADCs, Singh said the centres are being repositioned as integrated facilitation hubs capable of supporting textile businesses from incubation to market expansion. The revamped centres are expected to offer a comprehensive range of services, including testing, design support, entrepreneurship development and commercialisation of innovative textile products.

During the first quarter of the financial year 2026-27, ITADCs trained more than 1,170 individuals and reached nearly 1,770 textile units through outreach programmes. The centres also facilitated institutional credit, strengthened e-commerce linkages, launched product-led entrepreneurship initiatives and promoted commercialisation of emerging natural fibres such as bamboo, hemp, flax, banana and pineapple.

The Minister also reviewed the implementation of the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), highlighting its role in modernising the textile industry. According to an independent third-party impact assessment, the scheme has supported 10,061 textile units with subsidy assistance of ₹2,776 crore, leveraging investments exceeding ₹53,121 crore. It has enabled the installation of nearly 6.7 lakh benchmarked textile machines and generated around 3.6 lakh direct jobs.

The assessment revealed that every ₹1 crore of subsidy under ATUFS mobilised nearly ₹19 crore of private investment while creating about 130 direct jobs. It also found that 46 per cent of the subsidy was utilised by the weaving sector, while composite textile units accounted for nearly 1.7 lakh, or 46 per cent, of the new employment generated under the scheme.

As part of the Ministry's digital initiatives, Singh inaugurated the revamped website of the Office of the Textile Commissioner. The upgraded portal features a user-friendly interface, comprehensive information on schemes and services, interactive maps of ITADCs and powerloom clusters, improved accessibility features and a uniform design aligned with the Ministry's digital identity.

The Minister also launched a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Portal for ITADCs to enable real-time monitoring of institutional performance through digital dashboards, field-level data capture, benchmarking and structured review mechanisms. The portal is expected to improve governance, transparency and service delivery across ITADCs nationwide.

Addressing the meeting, Singh said the integrated centres would anchor India's next phase of textile growth by serving as one-stop facilitation hubs for entrepreneurs and industry. He said the initiative would strengthen MSMEs, boost exports, generate sustainable employment and contribute to building a globally competitive and self-reliant textile sector.

Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao stressed the need for greater institutional convergence, calling for closer coordination among field formations, the Textile Committee, Export Promotion Councils, Textile Research Associations and industry bodies to maximise the impact of government initiatives and improve service delivery across the textile value chain.

The Minister also directed all field offices to work closely with State Governments and industry associations to ensure effective implementation of schemes and wider outreach to textile enterprises. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the Ministry's commitment to strengthening institutional support, accelerating technology upgradation, promoting entrepreneurship and building an innovation-driven, employment-intensive textile sector.