Photo used for illustrative purpose.

The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has crossed yet another milestone by recording over 4 lakh footfalls in just 57 days since its inauguration on October 1 by Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal.

“The India Pavilion at the Expo 2020 continues to enchant the world by projecting an India that is Reforming, Performing & Transforming,” Shri Goyal said on this accomplishment in a tweet.

Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy Commissioner General of India at Expo 2020 said, “We are thrilled to receive such an encouraging response from the visitors’ towards the India Pavilion. The record turnout reaffirms India’s position as a crucial business destination that offers endless opportunities to the worldwide community. As we represent India at the Expo 2020, it is a moment of pride for us as we receive so much love from the global cohort of leading business delegates and visitors from across the world.” Since its inauguration in October, the India Pavilion has hosted various sectors such as New and Renewable Energy, Space, Housing and Urban Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Gas have showcased the array of opportunities that they offer. Along with this, India’s States like Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and UT of Ladakh, have also held programmes to explain investor-friendly policies that they offer, that create a conducive eco-system for the foreign companies to invest.

In December, the India Pavilion will host Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Kerala among the states and key sectors like Electronics and Information Technology, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Higher Education & Skills, Tribal Affairs, Spices & Tourism.

The Pavilion has also been graced with their presence by Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of Oil & Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri; Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan; and other government dignitaries besides leading corporate leaders such as Mr. Rishad Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd., Dinesh Kumar Khara Chairman, State Bank of India to name a few.

Adding to the bling factor, the Pavilion has also witnessed visits by the Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi and many more are expected in the coming days. Enthusiastic visitors, on the one hand, are getting experience of the cultural aspects of India, and on the other, the investors are learning about the endless opportunities that the nation has to offer. Authentic Indian cuisines are also being relished by both native Indians and international audiences.

The India Pavilion has also recently been recognized as one of the most iconic pavilions at the Expo by the American Institute of Architects.

Besides showcasing India as a lucrative investment destination on an international platform, the Expo has been pivotal in strengthening the Bi-lateral trade relations with UAE and cultural ties between India and rest of the world. With an average of 7000 visitors per day, the India Pavilion is a unique confluence of technology and culture.

Investment in Textiles Sector: The ‘Textile Week’ kicked off on Friday at the India Pavilion in Expo 2020 with the country looking at a fresh investment of INR 19,000 crore ($2.5 billion) in the sector, which would be key to a ‘Self-reliant India’ and becoming a preferred global sourcing partner in textiles.

The textile industry will showcase India’s rich cultural heritage during the week and deliberate on key initiatives taken by the government to create an ecosystem for the country to become a preferred sourcing partner for textile and clothing.

In a video message, Minister of State for Textile & Railways, Ms Darshana V Jardosh, said, “The present-day Indian textiles not only reflect the glittering past but also cater to the demands of modern times. Indian textile industry is one of the largest in the world, with a large raw material base and manufacturing strength across the value chain.”

She added, “To further improve the industrial ecosystem, scale, and integrated value chain, the textiles sector is a key sector that will help in building an ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ or Self-Reliant India.”

The textiles sector contributes around 2-3 per cent to Indian GDP, 7% to Industrial output, 12 per cent to the export earnings of India, around 11-12 per cent to total merchandize export and around 4.5 crore people are directly engaged with the textiles sector.

Addressing the gathering, Vijoy Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textile, said, “Despite a decline in total trade of textile & apparel sector during 2020-21, growth in textile and apparel trade reflected an encouraging trend in 2021-22 (April-Sept) with an increase of 69 per cent, and the same stood at $24 billion.”

He added, “India has a huge potential to grow in the textiles and apparel sector. The focus is on skills up-gradation, financial assistance, and integrating the sector with the latest technology.” The PLI scheme worth $1.45 billion, launched by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal, will help boost manufacturing, increase exports and attract investments into the sector. India has also launched Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) scheme with an outlay of $600 billion to build 7 mega textile parks.

These parks will create a modern, integrated large-scale, world-class industrial infrastructure including plug ‘n’ play facilities. National Technical Textiles Mission Scheme approved in February 2020 with a four-year implementation period from 2020-21 to 2023-24, is aimed at improving the penetration of technical textiles and strengthening India’s position as a global leader in technical textiles.

Outlining the government initiatives,  Jay Karan Singh, Trade Advisor, Ministry of Textiles, said, “The aim is to attract fresh investment of $2.5 billion and create an additional 7.5 lakh (0.75 million) direct jobs in the textile sector in coming years. The PLI Scheme will also aim to increase the turnover of the textile industry by a whopping $40+  billion over the next five years.”