By Gitika Sharma
LIVE | Union Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces an integrated programme for the labour-intensive textile sector, aimed at boosting self-reliance, jobs and global competitiveness.
- National Fibre Scheme to promote self-reliance in natural fibres such as silk, wool and jute, along with man-made and new-age fibres.
- Textile Expansion and Employment Scheme to modernise traditional textile clusters through capital support for machinery, technology upgradation, and common testing and certification centres.
- National Handloom and Handicraft Programme to integrate existing schemes and provide targeted support to weavers and artisans.
- Text-ECON initiative to promote globally competitive and sustainable textiles and apparel.
- SAMARTH 2.0 to upgrade the textile skilling ecosystem in collaboration with industry and academic institutions.
Further, the Budget proposes to set up mega textile parks in challenge mode, with a focus on value addition and technical textiles. The Finance Minister also announced the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative to strengthen handloom and handicrafts by improving global market linkages, branding, training, skilling and quality processes. These measures are expected to benefit weavers, village industries, ODOP clusters CMP_Circulars_21052021_637571914285840168_FAQ_ODOPPMFME_May20121.pdf and rural youth.
National Fibre Mission 2030-31: b56180fbde3114759a80f793979efe32.pdf)