Why in the news?

  • The government approved the Tex-RAMPS Scheme to strengthen the Textile sector through promoting research, innovation and competitiveness.

Tex-RAMPS Scheme

  • What is it?:
    • Textiles Focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning, and Start-up Scheme (Tex-RAMPS)
    • It is a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Textiles
  • Financial Outlay: Rs. 305 crore for a period FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31,
  • Objective: To strengthen research, innovation, data systems, capacity-building and start-up ecosystem in India’s textiles and apparel (T&A) sector, and thereby enhance global competitiveness.
  • Rationale:
    • The textiles & apparel sector in India faces structural challenges: slow tech adoption, weak R&D/innovation ecosystem, fragmented supply-chains, absence of robust data & analytics for policymaking. 
    • With global competition (from e.g., Vietnam, Bangladesh, China) increasing, the Indian T&A ecosystem needs to “future-proof” itself via smart/sustainable textiles, start-ups, and data-driven monitoring. 
    • The scheme aligns with India’s strategy of moving up the value-chain in textiles: from commodity manufacturing towards technical/smart textiles, circular economy, innovation-led manufacturing.
  • Features:
    • Research & Innovation: Support advanced R&D in smart textiles, sustainability, emerging technologies within textiles (technical textiles, functional fabrics).
    • Data, Assessment, Monitoring & Planning: Build strong data systems: employment mapping, supply-chain mapping, Integrated Textiles Statistical System (ITSS) for real-time analytics.
    • Capacity Building & State-level Support: Workshops, best-practice sharing, strengthening State planning in textiles.
    • Start-up/Incubation Support: Promote textile start-ups, hackathons, academia-industry linkages, incubation in textile domain.
    • Fully Central Funded and co-terminus with Finance Commission cycle
  • Significance:
    • Helps India’s textile sector transition from large-scale commodity manufacturing to innovation-led, technology-driven value-chains.
    • Strengthens the innovation ecosystem within textiles- linkage between research institutions, industry and start-ups.
    • Improves evidence-based policy-making via robust data systems (employment, supply-chain, tech adoption)- important for targeted interventions.
    • Enhances global competitiveness of Indian textiles / apparel- aligning with export thrust, ‘Make in India’, etc.
    • Encourages new employment opportunities, start-up creation, upskilling of workforce in textiles.
    • Aligns with broader themes: sustainability, circular economy, smart manufacturing.

Source: Press Information Bureau