The Ministry of Textiles has established the Development Council for Textile Industry (DCTI), a new consultative platform bringing together government officials, industry bodies, export councils, research institutions and state governments. The Council held its first meeting on 6 October 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, chaired by the Ministry’s Secretary. The body will advise the Government on how to support orderly growth in the textile sector, which remains among India’s largest sources of employment and foreign exchange earnings.
Key facts
- First meeting held 6 October 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
- Chair: Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Neelam Shami Rao
- Members include senior ministry officers, industry associations, export promotion councils, research associations, state governments and sector experts
- Council will constitute working groups on priority themes and meet regularly
What the Development Council will focus on
The Council’s mandate centres on five broad areas affecting the textile value chain. On production and productivity, it will examine how to add capacity and modernise operations across fibres, yarn, fabric, processing and apparel manufacturing, while closing gaps that make Indian producers less cost-competitive globally.
For research and development, the Council will work to strengthen links between industry and research institutions, push innovation in new-age fibres and technical textiles, and speed up the commercialisation of discoveries through Research Associations and academic bodies. This reflects a longstanding gap between Indian research output and its adoption by manufacturers.
On exports and market access, the Council will explore product and market diversification, leverage existing trade agreements, and address practical barriers such as quality standards, regulatory compliance and logistics costs that hamper exporters’ competitiveness.
The Council also addresses raw material security, seeking stable and competitive supplies of cotton, man-made fibres, yarn, dyes and chemicals, underpinned by better market information. Finally, it will promote investment growth, ease of doing business especially for small and medium enterprises, workforce skilling, and adoption of sustainable and circular production methods.
How the Council will operate
The DCTI functions as an apex platform for dialogue between government, industry and stakeholders. During the first meeting, members from industry associations and research bodies shared sector-specific suggestions on each of the five priority areas. The Council agreed to set up working groups and sub-committees on themes identified as urgent, and to convene at regular intervals to assess progress on recommendations.
The Council’s advice will shape the Ministry’s future policies and programmes. The Government has committed to a collaborative, industry-facing approach, signalling that textile policy will increasingly be shaped by dialogue with producers and exporters rather than by government direction alone.
What this means for you
For textile manufacturers and exporters, the DCTI offers a formal channel to influence government policy on tariffs, trade agreements, skills training and infrastructure support. Small and medium enterprises may benefit from policy reforms aimed at easing compliance and access to credit.
Workers and job seekers in textiles and apparel stand to gain from the Council’s focus on workforce skilling and employment generation. Research institutions and universities specialising in textiles, fibres and technical fabrics will have better opportunities to partner with industry and commercialise their innovations.
Consumers may eventually see the effects through greater product variety, improved quality and more sustainable textiles, as circular and eco-friendly production methods gain traction in Indian factories.
States with significant textile clusters, such as Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana, are represented on the Council and can advocate for region-specific infrastructure and support.
What happens next
The Council will constitute working groups and sub-committees on priority themes and meet at regular intervals to review progress on its recommendations. These groups will likely spend the coming months developing detailed proposals on production capacity, research commercialisation, export strategy and sustainability standards for the Ministry to implement.