Surat: The business community has described the reforms made in Gujarat Textile Policy-2024 by Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel as historic. The Textile and Garment Committee of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has welcomed these changes and said that this decision will prove to be a lifeline for women empowerment and urban MSME units.
Women and urban MSME units will get a new identity
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) national president Champalal Bothra said that under the new manifesto, women self-help groups (SHGs) associated with the National Urban and Rural Livelihood Mission (NULM/NRLM) are now directly linked to the benefits of the policy. This will open new doors of self-employment for thousands of women of the state.
He especially praised the inclusion of pollution-free units like textiles, tailoring, and embroidery work in the policy. According to Mr. Bothrana, “For the first time, small entrepreneurs operating in cities like Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot will actually benefit from mainstream industrial policy.”
Bothra explained that this reform is the result of seven years of struggle of small entrepreneurs in the apparel sector. Mr. Bothra is working for the benefit of small entrepreneurs through the Clothing Policy of 2017. He consistently put forward three main issues before the government:
- Availability of plug-and-play infrastructure for small entrepreneurs.
- Industrial benefits for pollution free units in urban areas.
- Recognition of the garment sector as an independent ‘Garment Hub’
All these demands have been mentioned in the new manifesto issued recently by the Chief Minister, which CAIT has described as a “triumph of visionary thinking”.
Champalal Bothra urged the state government to launch a massive awareness campaign to simplify the application process and ensure that the benefits of these reforms reach the grassroots level. He expressed confidence that these changes will promote balanced industrial growth while protecting the environment.
