Apparel Online India Magazine December 1st Issue 2018 | Page 34

INDUSTRY LIVE TO ADVERTISE GOING TO A GOOD EVENT? Contact Rani Mahendru [phone] (512) [email protected] Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected] ‘Make in Odisha’ shines! Top apparel, textile companies keen to invest crores in the state M ore than 15 Indian textile and apparel companies have shown interest to invest over Rs. 550 crore in Odisha and create around 18,000 jobs. To mention a few, Aditya Birla Fashion (Pantaloons) will invest Rs. 66 crore in the state. India’s number one exporter Shahi Exports will invest another Rs. 51 crore as part of its expansion plan in Odisha, creating jobs for around 2,500 people. Both the companies already have their factories in the state. The State Government also confirmed that Wild Lotus Fashion will invest Rs. 20 crore to set up its garment factory. These companies shared their interest during the second edition of the Make in Odisha(MIO) Conclave organised at Bhubaneswar from 11-15 November. Industrialists from across the country and globe participated, and pledged an investment worth Rs. 4,19,574 crore across 15 sectors, with an aim to create up to 5,91,000 additional jobs. As Odisha is also focusing on apparel manufacturing with industry-friendly policies and many apparel manufacturers are putting up their factories, the event had a dedicated session ‘Odisha as a Hub for Value Added Textiles’ which was addressed by many well-known experts of the industry as well as State Government officials. Apart from textile companies investing in this growing state, three textile parks will also come up in the state at Dhamnagar, Chhatabar and Ramdaspur areas covering 250, 65 and 250 acres of land, respectively. Sunil Shewakramani, ED, Indian subcontinent, Li and Fung (India) informed, “We also believe in digital revolution. Everything is on smartphones, and you don’t need to go out for anything. That is the future we’re working towards.” H.K.L. Magu, MD, Jyoti Apparels and Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council congratulated Odisha for being such a great host and creating and supporting such a big event. He even added that the present generation is fortunate to witness such a flourishing partnership between the Government and its people. The Chairman of Apparel ESSENTIALS An incentive of Rs. 1,500 per worker per month; 20 per cent (up to Rs. 20 crore) of the overall project cost for apparel parks; and interest-free loan of up to 10 per cent of the project cost – are the three major steps that the State Government has decided to take in order to attract investments in the textile and apparel sector. Export Promotion Council also informed Apparel Online that AEPC has invited Odisha’s state officials to its head office at Gurgaon so that they can hold a workshop for motivating more and more exporters of Delhi- NCR to start factories in Odisha. According to Magu, “Enough skilled labour is already there; power and minimum wage are also less compared to many other apparel manufacturing hubs. Even artwork of the state is also very good, so apparel manufacturers have good opportunities to start operation in the state.” Shishir Jaipuria, CEO, Ginni Filaments Ltd.; Sanjay Jain, MD, TT Ltd. and Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industries (CITI) also shared that Odisha’s ‘friendly people’ have made the state an investor-friendly destination. International fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra also shared that he would love to work with Odisha artisans as there is a demand for the state’s textiles and handloom in foreign countries. He showcased his Fall 2018 collection at the event. Addressing another session, Lubaina Shahpurwala, Co-Founder, Mustang Socks and Accessories shared, “Work never differentiates between genders. I’m standing here because of my hard work. With that you can move ahead.” Sarada Muraleedharan, DG, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) who headed the Kudumbashree mission of the Government of Kerala also addressed this session and said that Kudumbashree is a testament to women power. Similarly, Odisha also has several women-led initiatives at every level that work toward community development. Speakers in the session ‘Odisha as a Hub for Value Added Textiles’ during ‘Make in Odisha (MIO) Conclave’ 34 Apparel Online India | DECEMBER 1-15, 2018 | www.apparelresources.com Snehangini Chhuria, Minister of Handloom, Textiles & Handicrafts,