Chief Minister M.K. Stalin Addresses First Global Textile Summit 360

Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M.K. Stalin – from the camp office, through video conference, at the CODISSIA grounds of Coimbatore city, in the “First Global Textile Industry Summit 360”, jointly organised by the Textile Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry, delivered the address.

Greetings to all!

In Coimbatore, the Manchester of South India, which is famous for industrial growth and innovative discoveries, I am happy that the Global Textile Industry Summit is being held for the first time!

Tamil Nadu is the second-largest economy in India. What is special about Tamil Nadu is that social justice is protected here, and we are demonstrating inclusive development covering all districts.

That is why, under our Dravidian Model of governance, Tamil Nadu has risen as a leading state in many sectors such as automobiles, IT, footwear manufacturing, electronic goods and more. Particularly in the textile sector, Tamil Nadu has continuously retained the pride of being “India’s largest exporter” in ready-made garment exports for the last five years.

Tamil Nadu’s share alone in India’s textile trade is 33 per cent. Directly, the textile sector of Tamil Nadu provides employment to 31 lakh workers. Of this, 60.12 per cent are women workers, which is an added distinction.

After the formation of our Dravidian Model government, we created a separate department exclusively for textiles. To attract investments in technical textiles, we conducted two conferences in Chennai and Coimbatore. I congratulate and appreciate the Honourable Minister Thiru Gandhi and the department officials who are taking many such initiatives and working tirelessly for the growth of this sector.

The Honourable Deputy Chief Minister, my younger brother Thiru Udhayanidhi, has already spoken at this conference. He will elaborate to you the schemes, incentives and achievements that our government has implemented so far for the development of this sector. As a continuation of those achievements, through this conference, the strong foundation of the textile sector in Tamil Nadu should reach global stakeholders. We must attract global investments. These are the main objectives of this event.

Due to the 50 per cent duty imposed by America, Tamil Nadu has been significantly affected. To recover from this, we are taking several steps such as identifying new markets, conducting buyer–seller meets, and urging the Union Government to remove the 11 per cent import duty on cotton.

At a time when trade agreements between India and the European Union are being signed, this conference gains even more importance. A textile exhibition, fashion show, buyer–seller meetings, seminars, and a roadshow related to the PM-MITRA textile park to be set up in Virudhunagar are being held.

Recently, through investor meets held in Coimbatore, Madurai and Thoothukudi, we have signed memorandums of understanding for investments worth Rs 9,764 crore exclusively for the textile industry. In this conference as well, 55 memorandums of understanding worth Rs 915 crore are to be signed.

Not only that, Tamil Nadu’s “Integrated New Textile Policy 2025–2026” has also been released today.

Though I could not come in person to meet you due to various engagements, I wish to announce a special decision for you. Accepting the requests of various stakeholders, a 20 per cent capital investment subsidy will be provided to textile units for the purchase of advanced weaving and knitting machinery. For this, an annual allocation of Rs 30 crore will be made, and I am happy to announce this.

At the same time, I would like to place a request to the industrial representatives from India and abroad who are gathered here today.

Please invest in Tamil Nadu, which has excellent infrastructure, grow along with us, and provide employment opportunities to the people of Tamil Nadu. In the Dravidian Model’s journey towards becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy, the textile industry must play a significant role. I am confident that the success of this conference will greatly help in achieving that goal.

Thank you.