The Development Council for Textile Industry (DCTI) convened its first-ever meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, calling for a coordinated, whole-of-value-chain approach to boost production, innovation, and global market access across India's textile sector. The high-level gathering brought together government, industry, and research stakeholders to chart a course for one of the country's largest employment-generating and export-earning sectors.

Key Priorities Set at the Inaugural Meeting

Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao, who chaired the meeting, stressed that the textiles and apparel sector remains a cornerstone of India's economy — both as a major employer and a significant contributor to export earnings. Deliberations centred on capacity addition, modernisation, scale, and cost competitiveness across every segment of the supply chain, from fibre and yarn through fabric, processing, and finished apparel.

The meeting specifically flagged the need to address structural gaps along the value chain — a persistent challenge that has limited India's ability to compete with textile powerhouses such as China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam in global markets.

Innovation, R&D and Technical Textiles in Focus

Strengthening industry-research linkages emerged as another priority theme. The Council discussed fostering innovation in new-age fibres and technical textiles, and facilitating faster commercialisation of research through dedicated associations and institutions. The intent is to close the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and shop-floor adoption — a bottleneck that has long slowed India's move up the textile value chain.

Notably, technical textiles — encompassing products used in healthcare, agriculture, defence, and infrastructure — represent a high-growth segment that India has only begun to capture systematically in recent years.

Export Diversification and MSME Support

The Council also took up the diversification of products and export markets, leveraging existing trade agreements, and addressing quality, compliance, and logistics-related constraints faced by exporters. Stable and competitive availability of inputs — including cotton, man-made fibres, yarn, dyes, and chemicals — was flagged as essential, supported by effective market intelligence.

Dedicated attention was given to MSMEs, which form the backbone of the textile ecosystem. Workforce skilling and the adoption of sustainable and circular practices were additional areas discussed, reflecting growing international buyer demand for responsible sourcing.

Working Groups to Be Formed; Regular Reviews Planned

Members welcomed the institutionalised industry-government interface the Council provides and shared sector-specific suggestions across all themes. The Council agreed to constitute working groups on priority themes and to meet at regular intervals to review progress.

Its recommendations are intended to directly inform the Ministry of Textiles' policy and programme interventions, with the stated objectives of higher domestic production, improved productivity, and a more integrated, scale-oriented value chain. The meeting was attended by senior Ministry officials, representatives of industry associations, export promotion councils, research bodies, state governments, and sector experts.

With the DCTI now operational as the apex consultative platform for the sector, the government's next move will be closely watched by an industry seeking policy certainty ahead of a competitive global trade environment.