Textile industry should evolve with time: Minister

Coimbatore,Jan29 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Healthand Family Welfare, S Gandhiselvan, today said even atradition-based industry like textiles should keep pacewith technological advancements and adopt modern managementmethods to sustain.

Delivering his address at the 5th Convocation of SardarVallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles andManagement, he said Indian textile industry has a gloriouspast, adding references to weaving were found in the Vedicliterature on the method of spinning and various materialsused.

In the 13th Century, Indian silk was used as ''barter forspices'' from the Western country and by end of the 17thCentury, the East India Company had begun exports of Indiansilks and various other cotton fabrics to other countries, hesaid.

Textile industry earned 27 per cent of foreign exchangeto India''s exchequer, contributing 14 per cent of the totaldomestic production, besides providing employment to 3.5crore people.

Besides the traditional role of providing clothing topeople, the advancements in the field in the area of medicaltextiles and the like were contributing a lot in maintainingthe health of people and restoration of the sick, he said.

Gandhiselvan urged the students to make efforts to reducethe cost of production in the textile industry throughinnovative ideas.