New Delhi, May 24 : As many as 4.32 lakh beneficiaries have been trained and 3.20 lakh received placements so far under the Samarth scheme, with more than 88 per cent being women, according to the Textiles Ministry.

By empowering women in textile production, craftsmanship, and innovation, the scheme is driving gender-inclusive development.

The scheme extends across India, making skill development accessible from Jammu and Kashmir to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The government focus on Increasing textile manufacturing, modernising infrastructure, fostering innovation upgrading technology through skilled manpower will strengthen India's position as a global textile hub.

Union minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh interacted with industry partners and beneficiaries under the Samarth scheme, and met beneficiaries from different sectors including handloom, handicraft, jute and silk under the Samarth scheme.

The beneficiaries shared their experiences on the benefits given to them which is strengthening their livelihood. During the interaction, the beneficiaries and industry partners shared the scheme's impact and success stories to the Union Minister.

The minister highlighted the significance of textile sector in India as one of the largest employment generating sectors and the benefits provided to them through various schemes of Ministry of textiles including the Samarth scheme.

During interaction, industry representative put forward their views on the present status of the Samarth scheme including challenges to be addressed, growth potential and opportunities available for the skilled manpower to make India global hub of Textiles.

Samarth is a significant step towards developing workforce empowerment. Samarth aims to incentivise and supplement the efforts of the industry in creating jobs in the organised textile and related sectors, covering the entire value chain of textiles, excluding Spinning and Weaving.

Meanwhile, the number of new entities recognised as startups in the textiles sector each year by the Centre's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has been steadily increasing over the last five years from 204 in 2020 to 703 in 2023, and 765 in 2024.

/IANS