Country’s first textile university will come up at Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), Khajod, foundation of which was laid by Gujarat chief minister, Anandiben Patel. She made such announcement during her address at the foundation stone laying ceremony of SDB on Sunday.
The university is likely to come up on 100 acres of land and will act as catalyst for growth of the textile industry in the city. Pakistan has a textile university since 1959 while Bangladesh got one in 2010. According to sources, India’s share in the global textile market is about 3 per cent.
A bill in this regard will be passed in the state assembly and after the formal procedure is complete the project would be announced by the state government.
“If we want to increase our market share rapidly and compete with others, we need a university that will establish multi-disciplinary institutional mechanism for formulation of policy measures and specific action plans, including those relating to World Trade Organization (WTO),” a top official from Surat collector’s office said. “We need such institution to review and revitalize the working of Textile Research Associations (TRAs),” he added.
“If such a university comes up in Surat, it will help the city’s textile industry to transform itself,” Kamal Tulsiyan, president, Pandesara Industrial Association and a dying mill owner said.