New Delhi: Vesting the task of making India the world's fashion capital with the National Institute of Fashion Technology, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday suggested that the institute should begin by working to triple garment exports in the next three years.
"For increasing the exports of apparel and garments from six billion dollars at present to 18-20 billion dollars, intense collaboration between NIFT, Textile Research Associations, textile industrialists and the government would be required. "A mission mode programme should emerge (for this)," he said here at the convocation of NIFT.
"By tripling the export of apparels, we can add more than 5 million direct jobs and 7 million indirect jobs in allied sector, primarily in the cultivation of cotton," Kalam said. He said if the innate Indian art were married with technology, modern fashion design can emerge. "Our aim should be to create brand India design, using our cultural heritage. The aim of such brand India design should be to penetrate the minds of men and women spread in all parts of the world, through our unique products. This will enable India to tread its own path instead of proceeding in the beaten path," the President said. This would enable Ministry of Textiles to achieve an export target of 70 billion dollars in fashion design and lifestyle products compared to the present 23 billion dollars, in the next five years, Kalam said.
