Textiles Ministry, ICRIER Sign MoU to Strengthen Data-Driven Policy Research in Textile Sector
Partnership to support evidence-based policymaking and analytical research for India’s textile and apparel industry
The MoU was signed by Akhilesh Kumar, Deputy Director General, ministry of textiles, and Dr. Shekhar Aiyar, Director and Chief Executive, ICRIER in New Delhi on Thursday.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Textiles and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen evidence-based policy research and data-driven analysis in India’s textile and apparel sector.
The agreement was formally signed during a ceremony held at GPOA 3, Netaji Nagar, New Delhi on Thursday.
The MoU was signed by Akhilesh Kumar, Deputy Director General, ministry of textiles, and Dr Shekhar Aiyar, Director and Chief Executive, ICRIER.
According to the ministry, the collaboration aims to leverage ICRIER’s technical and research expertise to support:
- textile sector policy formulation
- strengthening of textile data systems
- analytical policy studies
- evidence-based decision making in the textile and apparel ecosystem
The ministry said the partnership reflects the Government of India’s increasing emphasis on data-backed policymaking and institutional research support for key manufacturing sectors.
India’s textile and apparel industry remains one of the country’s largest employment-generating sectors and a major contributor to:
- manufacturing output
- exports
- MSME activity
- rural and women’s employment
Officials noted that the sector is undergoing significant transformation amid:
- global supply-chain shifts
- sustainability pressures
- rising competition from manufacturing economies
- technology-led production changes
- evolving export market requirements
The collaboration with ICRIER is expected to help the ministry generate stronger economic analysis and policy insights related to:
- exports and competitiveness
- employment trends
- investment flows
- global trade dynamics
- value-chain integration
- industrial productivity
The initiative also aligns with broader government efforts to strengthen India’s position as a global textile manufacturing and export hub under initiatives such as PM MITRA parks, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes and technical textile expansion programmes.
ICRIER, one of India’s leading economic policy think tanks, has previously worked on trade, manufacturing, global competitiveness and economic policy research across multiple sectors.
