**Executive Summary**
On December 20, 2025, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan addressed the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Annual Awards Function in New Delhi. He emphasized the vital role of apparel exports in India's economic growth and urged the industry to focus on modernization, value addition, and market diversification to achieve the vision of a Viksit and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. The Vice-President lauded the resilience of apparel exporters and highlighted the government's support through various policies and schemes.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Economic Significance:**
* Apparel and textile sector is a vital pillar of India's economy.
* Provides direct employment to over 45 million people and supports more than 100 million livelihoods indirectly.
* Contributes about 2% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
* Accounts for nearly 11% of manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).
* **Government Support:**
* Government of India has extended strong and multi-dimensional support to the textiles and apparel industry.
* Support provided through progressive policies and schemes like PM MITRA Parks and SAMARTH Skill Development Programme.
* Vision 2030 aims to transform the sector into a global powerhouse.
* **Industry Focus Areas:**
* Explore new markets such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
* Focus on value addition.
* Diversify the export basket.
* Reduce import dependence.
* Encourage innovation and research and development.
* Promote sustainable exports.
* **Labor Welfare:**
* Textile sector is labor-intensive.
* Second-largest source of employment in the country after agriculture.
* Need to ensure labor welfare across the industry.
* **Export Expectations:**
* Exports in the sector are expected to double in the coming years.
* This is expected to create significant additional employment opportunities.
**Impact Analysis**
**Apparel Exporters**
* **Impact:** Encouraged to explore new markets, focus on value addition, diversify exports, reduce import dependence, innovate, and promote sustainability.
* **Action Required:** Actively engage in modernization, value addition, market diversification, and sustainable practices to leverage government support and achieve export growth.
**Textile and Apparel Industry**
* **Impact:** Receives strong government support through various policies and schemes aimed at transforming the sector.
* **Action Required:** Utilize government initiatives and respond with innovation to achieve industry goals.
**Labor Force**
* **Impact:** Increased focus on labor welfare and expectation of additional employment opportunities due to export growth.
* **Action Required:** N/A
**AEPC**
* **Impact:** Recognized for its role as a bridge between the government and the industry.
* **Action Required:** Continue facilitating communication and collaboration between the government and the apparel industry.
Key Entities Referenced
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC): Council organizing the Annual Awards Function, acting as a bridge between government and apparel industry.
Viksit and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat: A vision that the apparel sector is expected to contribute significantly to.
PM MITRA Parks: Scheme supporting the textiles and apparel industry.
SAMARTH Skill Development Programme: Scheme supporting the textiles and apparel industry.
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan
addresses AEPC Annual Awards Function
Apparel exports vital to India’s economic growth and key to
achieving the vision of a Viksit and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat:
Vice-President
Vice-President lauds resilience of apparel exporters despite
global challenges
Vice-President calls for modernisation, value addition and
market diversification in the sector
प्रव तथ: 20 DEC 2025 4:32PM by PIB Delhi
The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, today participated in the Annual Awards Function
of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in New Delhi and congratulated the awardees for their
outstanding contributions to India’s apparel export sector.
Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, participated as the Chief Guest
at the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Awards Function in New Delhi.
Congratulating the awardees, he highlighted the Government of India’s strong
and multi-dimensional support to the… pic.twitter.com/uyoVxdP4pN
— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) December 20, 2025
Addressing the gathering, the Vice-President said that the apparel and textile sector remains a vital pillar
of India’s economy, providing direct employment to over 45 million people and supporting more than 100
million livelihoods indirectly. He noted that the sector contributes about 2 per cent to the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and accounts for nearly 11 per cent of manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA).
The Vice-President said that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi, has extended strong and multi-dimensional support to the textiles and apparel industry
through progressive policies and schemes such as PM MITRA Parks and the SAMARTH Skill
Development Programme. He added that the Prime Minister has laid out a comprehensive Vision 2030
aimed at transforming the sector into a global powerhouse.
He emphasised that government initiatives achieve their true purpose only when industry partners respond
with innovation and determination.Expressing happiness that, in an era defined by global challenges, India’s apparel exporters have
demonstrated remarkable resilience and progress, the Vice-President said that the Government has been
actively engaging in discussions and initiatives to resolve challenges faced by the sector, including
through ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.
The Vice-President urged the apparel industry to actively explore new markets such as Asia, Africa and
Latin America. He also called upon the industry to focus on value addition, diversify the export basket,
reduce import dependence, encourage innovation and research and development, and promote sustainable
exports.
The Vice-President observed that the textile sector is labour-intensive and the second-largest source of
employment in the country after agriculture. He stressed the need to ensure labour welfare across the
industry.
He said that exports in the sector are expected to double in the coming years, creating significant
additional employment opportunities. He expressed confidence that the apparel sector will play a leading
role in achieving the vision of a Viksit and Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
Highlighting his close association with the textile industry, the Vice-President noted that he hails from
Tiruppur, India’s hosiery and knitwear hub, and has closely witnessed the evolution of the sector. He
recalled his experience as a Member of Parliament and Co-Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Textiles
under the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, which enabled him to study the sector’s
challenges and contribute to policy recommendations.
He also appreciated AEPC’s role as a bridge between the government and the industry and released its
coffee table book titled “Threads of Time: Story of India’s Textiles”.
Shri Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Minister of Industries, Government of NCT of Delhi; Shri Sudhir Sekhri,
Chairman, AEPC; Dr. A. Sakthivel, Vice Chairman, AEPC; and other distinguished guests from the textile
and apparel industry were present on the occasion.
***
PR/ASM
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