By Dipali Goenka, CEO & Jt. MD, Welspun India
If you go back to the 90s, you’ll probably remember coming across shows on Discovery or TLC showing how industry functioned across the globe. There were programs about mass manufacturing in various sectors like automobiles, fast food, fashion, textiles, etc. But you would never see Indian companies on these shows. India would only ever be visible as a third-world country, where poverty and luxury exist in parallels.
However, today you will see these channels screening special programmes in celebration of India’s 75 years of independence that show the internal workings of every Indian industrial sector, from Indian soup kitchens to Indian start-ups, Indian handicrafts, textiles, and more. What a journey it has been!
India’s journey to self-sufficiency
To understand how radically the Indian industry has evolved, it’s important to think back to our roots. In a country once renowned for its cloth and handicrafts, we were used to consuming imported cloth before independence. Mahatma Gandhi reminded Indians to embrace Swadeshi goods and boycott foreign products. Gandhiji described the Swaraj and Swadeshi movements as a movement to make India self-sufficient.
Today, as India completes 75 years of Independence, we have achieved this dream of self-sufficiency. Throughout Indian history, textiles and textile production, handicraft, etc. remain one of the most prolific industrial sectors. From the era of monopolistic mills to liberalization and then today, the growing pre-eminence of small to medium industry, textile trade, and business in India has been one of the major reasons for our growth and progress.
How India’s textile footprint has grown and shaped lives
Textile industry currently employs approximately 4.5 crore people directly and over 6 crore people indirectly, including women and rural labourers. It also offers second largest employment opportunities to the people after agriculture.
Understanding the power and reach they possess, textile manufacturers and producers are doing their bit to give back to society and help India’s growth story. Thanks to new advances in technology and industry, Welspun’s WelKrishi empowers farmers to grow sustainable cotton, offering access to new technology, know-how, and financing. Spun by Welspun also provides employment and a source of income to families affected by the earthquake in Bhuj, Gujarat.
In this age of Industry 4.0, digitalization is the driver of growth. Our business and infrastructure is built on cloud computing and interactive systems. Whether it’s the unique UPI system interface for digital payments or the Make in India revolution allowing entrepreneurs and small businesses to grow, India’s growth story has witnessed a lot of successful ventures.
The Indian government is also keen to develop new policy frameworks for emerging technologies and businesses. As we celebrate #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav, with a theme of ‘Nation First, Always First,” let us take a moment to applaud this marriage of government and industry, helping us scale new heights.
The journey to greater growth starts with each one of us. As India completes 75 years of independence, we need to ponder Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”