Tex-RAMPS Scheme – Boosting Innovation in the Textile Sector

Textile Sector Latest News

• The Union Government has approved the Textiles Focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning and Start-up (Tex-RAMPS) Scheme.

Textile Sector: A Pillar of Manufacturing and Employment

• India’s textile and apparel sector is one of the country’s oldest and most significant industries, deeply embedded in its cultural and economic landscape. 
• It contributes over 2% to India’s GDP, nearly 11% to industrial output, and around 13% to total export earnings. 
• With more than 45 million workers, it is the second-largest employer after agriculture.
• The sector’s strength lies in its integrated value chain, from fibre, spinning, weaving, knitting, processing, to apparel and home textiles. 
• India is among the world’s largest producers of cotton, jute, silk, polyester, and technical textiles, and is globally competitive in home furnishings and garment manufacturing.

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Challenges Faced by the Textile Sector

• Slow adoption of advanced technologies,
• Limited R&D capacity,
• Absence of an integrated data and analytics ecosystem,
• Fragmented supply chains,
• Rising global competition from technologically agile economies like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

News Summary

• The Union Government has approved the Textiles Focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning and Start-up (Tex-RAMPS) Scheme, with an outlay of Rs. 305 crore, to be implemented between 2025-26 and 2030-31. 
• The initiative aims to strengthen innovation capacity, improve data systems, and enhance the global competitiveness of India’s textile and apparel sector. 

Aims and Vision of Tex-RAMPS

• Tex-RAMPS is designed as a future-oriented intervention to address critical structural gaps that limit India’s competitiveness in the global textile value chain.
• According to the Textiles Ministry, the scheme will integrate research, data, and innovation to position India as a global leader in sustainability, technology, and competitiveness.  The scheme aims to:
  • Build a strong national ecosystem for textile research and innovation,
  • Strengthen evidence-based policymaking through advanced data systems,
  • Promote sustainability and efficiency across the value chain,
  • Develop high-value textile start-ups and entrepreneurship,
  • Enhance collaboration between States, academia, industry, and government bodies. 

Key Components of the Tex-RAMPS Scheme

• Research and Innovation Development
  • The scheme promotes advanced research in Smart textiles, Sustainability and circularity, Process efficiency, Emerging and frontier technologies.
  • This is expected to significantly boost India’s innovation capabilities and enhance global value chain integration. 
• Data, Analytics, and Diagnostic Systems
  • Tex-RAMPS places strong emphasis on building a robust, real-time textile data ecosystem, including employment assessments, supply chain mapping, across-India study,  and standardized analytics for strategic planning.
  • The idea is to enable “evidence-based decision making” across the sector. 
• Integrated Textiles Statistical System (ITSS)
  • A major innovation is the establishment of the ITSS, a centralised data and analytics platform enabling Continuous monitoring, Centralised diagnostics, and Strategic policy planning. 
  • This system will support State governments as well as industry bodies in aligning strategies with national goals.
• Capacity Development and Knowledge Ecosystem
  • Tex-RAMPS proposes to Strengthen State-level planning units, Share best practices across textile clusters, Organise workshops, training programmes, and sectoral events.
  • These efforts aim to enhance human resource development and cultivate a strong “quality culture” within the textile value chain. 
• Start-up and Innovation Support
  • The scheme actively encourages entrepreneurship through Support for textile incubators, Hackathons, academia-industry collaboration, Innovation challenges and early-stage funding support.
  • This is intended to nurture high-value textile start-ups and foster innovations in technical textiles, smart fabrics, and sustainable materials. 

Expected Outcomes of Tex-RAMPS

• The scheme is expected to deliver significant long-term gains:
  • Enhanced global competitiveness of India’s textile and apparel industries,
  • A stronger research and innovation ecosystem,
  • Improved quality, productivity, and supply-chain resilience,
  • More accurate, data-driven policies and workforce assessments,
  • Generation of employment opportunities,
  • Deeper collaborations between States, academia, and industry.
• Industry leaders note that the scheme will “strengthen the innovation ecosystem, promote promising start-ups, and deepen the quality culture” in the textile sector. 

Source: TH | PIB