NE integral to India’s textile identity: Giriraj

Shillong: Union minister of textiles Giriraj Singh shared his vision for the future of India’s textile industry, emphasizing the significance of innovation and the northeast’s role in the sector. He highlighted the substantial contribution of the northeast, with handloom, technical textiles, and handicrafts accounting for over Rs 45,000 crore in exports. “The northeast plays a vital role in our billion-dollar market,” he said.The minister addressed the graduates at the 12th convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Shillong, marking the inauguration of the institute’s permanent campus. “Today marks a pivotal moment for NIFT Shillong, where we not only inaugurate a state-of-the-art campus but also celebrate the culmination of years of hard work by our graduates. Your journey does not end here; it begins anew. Embrace the challenges ahead and strive to innovate and inspire. The future of fashion is in your hands,” he encouraged the graduating class of 2024.Singh stressed the importance of technology in design, stating, “If our students create beautiful designs through hard work, we must equip them with tools and technology to protect their creativity.” He expressed his commitment to elevating the textiles department to a level of national and global recognition, emphasizing that the textile industry offers the most significant employment opportunities after agriculture. The minister projected that India's textile industry would grow to 350 billion US dollars by 2030, creating crores of jobs.The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the design process was also highlighted, aligning with the Prime Minister's belief that “design permeates all sectors, especially fashion, which will be our strength.” Singh praised NIFT’s pioneering initiative, VisionNxt, stating, “We need not depend on other nations,” and announced plans to establish NIFT campuses outside India.We also published the following articles recently