8th October 2021, Mumbai:

The Ministry of Textiles (MoT) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have signed an MOU on the 'Indo German Technical Cooperation Project on Sustainability and Value Added in the Cotton Economy'.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has cooperated with the Ministry of Textiles (MoT), which is backed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, as part of the Indo-German Development Cooperation Framework (MoAFW).

'To improve the value addition from sustainable cotton production in India by focusing on sustainable cotton and enhancing downstream processing,' the project's goal states. This initiative will focus on four key cotton-producing states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, and will work closely with the relevant agencies. In the presence of Minister of State for Textiles,

Darshna Vikram Jardosh, who presided over the event, and UP Singh, Secretary, Textiles, the MoU was signed by Sanjay Sharan, Joint Secretary on behalf of the MoT, Mohd.-El-Khawab, Programme Coordinator, GIZ India, and Dr. Rossitza Krueger, Programme Head, Sustainable Cotton Project, GIZ.

The GIZ initiative will also contribute to increased employment and women's empowerment through training and capacity building in sustainable cotton producing techniques, such as innovative cotton processing procedures and ginning, among other things.

According to Darshna Jardosh, the GIZ initiative aims to boost cotton output volume by 10% on at least 90,000 hectares with the involvement of 1.50 lakh cotton growers. This would help to improve the ability of 1.50 lakh farmers and entrepreneurs, with around 30% of them being women.

The initiative takes a 'From shelf to field' approach, with the goal of connecting customers to Indian cotton producers and working throughout the whole supply chain. The initiative also aims to increase openness about the prevalence and use of internationally recognized/accepted sustainability standards, as well as to promote water-saving techniques in cotton production.

This will assist to minimise the cotton sector's susceptibility to ever-increasing water stress exacerbated by climate change.

Through the formation and convening of the project Steering Committee for project progress assessment and guidance, the MoT, as the key partner on the Indian Government side, advises the project on primary intervention areas based on its vision for textiles in India.

According to UP Singh, the project's main goal is to collaborate with big global textile firms to generate a "pull" effect that would help farmers gain better market access for their sustainably farmed cotton. According to him, the project aims to promote sustainable cotton farming methods while also emphasising the use of excellent agricultural practises.

Notably, India is the world's greatest cotton producer and second-largest cotton consumer, with projected consumption of 303 lakh bales (5.15 million metric tonnes, or 20% of global cotton consumption of 1,505 lakh bales) (25.59 million metric tonnes).

It is vital to the livelihoods of around 6 million cotton growers and over 50 million people employed in associated activities such as cotton processing and commerce.

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06 October 2021, Mumbai:

For the past 19 months, Bengaluru garment industry employees have not been given updated dearness allowance (DA), with the businesses using a Government decision that has been stayed by the High Court to deny them their legal dues.

According to reports in the media, the DA has been amended for 2020-21 based on consumer price index points.

The Garment and Textile Industry Workers' Organization (Gatwu), a city workers' union, claimed the State Government issued an order in July last year delaying the amended DA in response to a petition from garment factory managements.

“Despite the stay order, the managements have not paid the workers the amended sum and owe Rs. 7,098 in arrears to each of the 4.2 lakh workers,” Gatwu resident Jayaram KR stated.

The union has asked that the government take quick steps to ensure that all workers get paid DA. GATWU is a grassroots union with over 5,000 active members that organizes and fights for the rights of garment workers in Karnataka.

However, as trade unions contested the government decision, it was delayed by the High Court in September 2020. Bengaluru is India's main clothing manufacturing center, with around 5 lakh employees employed in tens of thousands of garment companies.

The majority of these employees are female.

TOP 5:

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2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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01 October 2021, Mumbai:

Flipkart, India's indigenous e-commerce platform, is gearing up for the 8th edition of The Big Billion Days, its flagship festive event, and is actively working with its Flipkart Samarth artisans, weavers, and handicraft producers to allow their lives and business success.

This holiday season, the program's craftsmen and weavers have created a special line of items based on the subject "Artforms of India," in order to appeal to the pan-India consumer base who purchase online throughout the festive season.

Flipkart Samarth has been collaborating with government agencies, livelihood missions, and non-governmental organizations to democratize e-commerce via technology and establish a sustainable and inclusive platform for underserved domestic communities.

Since last year, the initiative has seen a 7x increase in sales, affecting 9,50,000 lives by expanding market options and guiding them as they get more comfortable with internet shopping. In comparison to the non-holiday time, artists who participated in Flipkart's annual festive event witnessed a 2.5x boost in revenue last year. This year,

‘Artforms of India' will offer goods from all around India with a rich cultural history and strong regional importance to customers. “With a bigger number of beneficiaries this holiday season, we're excited to provide them with an inclusive platform where they can display their unique items through a dedicated storefront and collection.

“Our goal is to guarantee that Indian customers can picture their participation in affecting the fortunes of these people when making a purchase,” said Jagjeet Harode, Senior Director and Head - Marketplace, Flipkart.

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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8th October 2021, Mumbai:

As per a report by Bain & Company in collaboration with Sequoia, India’s social commerce market is likely to reach $70 billion by 2030. The market is currently worth $2 billion GMV, according to the report titled ‘Unlocking the Future of Commerce in India.

’ Pritika Rao, who runs all things preloved, which has over 2,500 followers on Instagram, believes the pandemic has aided the thrift market, with people looking to rotate their wardrobes.

Another reason why thrifting has gained momentum is that people have gone through physical transformations.

They need different sizes, and getting good quality, affordable pieces from thrift stores is a big plus, she adds.

Rao held her first offline thrift sale at BKC Mumbai on March 8, 2020, where the stock sold out on the first day. Barely two weeks later, as the COVID-19 lockdown came into place, Rao moved online. She sources 95 percent of clothes on her page from personal wardrobes of people; the remaining are donated to her to be sold off further.

The pricing of these clothes depends on their condition and brand, she adds.

Dolce Vee Love, a popular thrift page on Instagram with 117,000 followers, is known for its celebrity pop-up charity closet and mass-market sales. The page was started by Komal Hiranandani, who earlier worked with IDFC Institute. It aims to promote sustainability and the circular fashion movement.

According to online consignment and thrift store thredUp’s 2021 resale report, the global second-hand market is projected to double in the next five years, reaching $77 billion. As many as 33 million consumers bought secondhand apparel for the first time in 2020, of which 76 percent of buyers plan to increase their spending in the next five years. According to the report, resale is projected to grow 5.4 percent in five years.

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

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4th October 2021, Mumbai:

The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) is requesting that British people visiting India on a business visa be excluded from obligatory quarantine.

The Council is holding the 52nd Indian Handicraft and Gift Fair (IHGF) Autumn 2021 Delhi Fair in physical mode at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, from October 28 to October 31, 2021, with all necessary safety protocols and SOPs for organizing B2B trade expositions issued by WHO and the Government of India, where overseas buyers from all over the world, including buyers from the United Kingdom, are expected to attend.

In reaction to a similar measure being enforced on Indian citizens traveling in Britain, the Indian government has proposed a ten-day obligatory quarantine for all British nationals entering India beginning October 4, 2021.

The recent policy decision of the Government of India to impose a ten-day mandatory quarantine for all British nationals arriving in India will have an impact on the Council's initiative of providing a physical marketing platform to handicrafts exporters, paving the way for the economy to return to a high-growth track and creating gainful jobs for artisans, according to Rajkumar Malhotra, Chairman, EPCH.

The Council made an SOS appeal to India's Prime Minister, Home Minister, Commerce and Industry Minister, Civil Aviation Minister, and External Affairs Minister, requesting that British nationals arriving in India on a business visa specifically to source from Indian exhibitions be exempted from the 10-day mandatory quarantine.

It is crucial to highlight, according to Dr. Rakesh Kumar, DG EPCH, that business exhibits are economic growth engines that work as a catalyst for boosting trade and commerce between countries.

It is a good moment to hold a physical fair like this since the general condition of the COVID-19 epidemic, which has damaged lives and livelihoods for the previous year and a half, is gradually improving.

After 18 months of the epidemic, economic operations are beginning to return to normal. The Council has received positive feedback from both international buyers and Indian exhibitors.

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2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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30th September 2021, Mumbai:

Reliance acquired e-commerce platform Fynd is converting its registered company into a public company. As per the Inc42 report, Fynd’s registered company Shopsense Retail Technology will be converted into Shopsense Retail Technologies Retail.

The public company will comply with SEBI’s regulations which seek a subsidiary of a listed company to convert into a public company. Harish Madnani, Additional Director, Fynd will also be appointed a director in the startup.

Madnani was a chief financial officer of Jio Payment Bank, Marks & Spencer Reliance India, and Reliance Jio Media.

Founded in 2012 by Farooq Adam, Harsh Shah, and Sreeraman MG, Fynd is an omnichannel fashion platform that sells products across various categories – including clothing, footwear, jewellery, and accessories, from prominent brands in the country.

It enables small and medium-sized businesses to go online by helping them list their inventory on multiple e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Nykaa among others. The startup also helps small businesses with last-mile logistics delivery.

The Mumbai-based startup optimizes delivery time by sourcing products from the outlets nearest to the customer.

The startup employs more than 250 employees spread across design, engineering, data science, operations, and sales. It claims to deliver products from over 600 brands and 10,000 stores.

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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8th October 2021, Mumbai:

The approval of seven Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (MITRA) Parks in India has been hailed by the Indian textile industry as a step toward reclaiming global leadership in textiles.

The government authorised the much-anticipated establishment of seven Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks with a total investment of Rs. 4,445 crore over five years.

A. Sakthivel, Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), praised the move, saying it will help India reclaim its worldwide leading position in the textile sector.

“It would attract huge international and local investment in the industry, making it globally competitive while also assisting in the creation of lakhs of jobs,” says the report.

The government's actions will assist India in regaining its textile dominance. In the next several years, I am certain that the textiles business will grow its yearly exports to more than $100 billion.

"The industry, which is the country's second-largest employer, would play a critical role in realising Atma Nirbhar Bharat," he added.

The programme and earmarking significant amounts not only for common infrastructural facilities, but also for manufacturing units, according to Ravi Sam, Chairman of the Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), would assist in acquiring competitiveness at the first stage.

He stated that the SIMA will work closely with state governments and the federal government to help existing big textile units in the country attract massive investments into these parks.

He went on to say that Telangana could be able to take benefit of the plan right away for the Warangal Park under the Brownfield category. He further stated that the Tamil Nadu government has already chosen a place for the MITRA Park.

He also asked the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to speed up the process of identifying sites for the MITRA Park. Raja M. Shanmugham, President of the Tirupur Exporters' Association (TEA), praised the decision, claiming that the Tirupur knitwear exports cluster already contains the textile eco-system Fibre, Factory, Fashion, and Foreign excluding Farm, therefore realising the Prime Minister's goal.

He claims that this will boost the textile industry's competitiveness by allowing it to attain economies of scale, as well as provide millions of people with work possibilities.

T. Rajkumar, Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), claimed that the government will build seven mega textile parks with a total investment of Rs. 4,445 crore over the next five years, following the example of China and Vietnam.

The Indian government has taken yet another positive step. However, in addition to creating new textile parks, the government may strive to digitally map existing clusters in order to have a better understanding of the present gaps in the value chain of the goods produced and the necessary infrastructure. It will aid in the expansion of these parks as well as the expansion of existing units and clusters.

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2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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4th October 2021, Mumbai:

The final free trade agreement or Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and Australia will include a chapter on the e-commerce sector, says Dan Tehan, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.

The proposed trade agreement would cover trade in goods and services, and investment, etc. The two countries have agreed to finalize the agreement by 2022-end. The two sides also decided to have an exchange of offers regarding the proposed CECA agreement by October.

Last year, bilateral trade between India-Australia exceeded AU$24 billion. India mainly exported petroleum products, medicines, polished diamonds, gold jewelry, apparel, etc to Australia while imported coal LNG, Alumina, non-monetary gold from the country.

In services, major Indian exports to Australia included travel, telecom and computer, government and financial services, while imports were principally in the fields of education and personal related travel.

In 2020, India was Australia's seventh-largest trading partner and sixth largest export destination, driven by coal and international education.

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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29th September 2021, Mumbai:

“Reducing compliance is about restoring confidence in every businessperson and citizen. It becomes simpler to develop a non-confrontational policy framework after confidence has been built. Simplifying regulations, eliminating compliance requirements, and decriminalizing some laws all contribute to a wider framework for conducting business.

It has the potential to be transformative,” the Minister added. According to Anurag Jain, Secretary, DPIIT, the Centre and states have eliminated over 22,000 compliances. More than 1,200 procedures have been digitized, and about 13,000 compliances have been simplified.

The government has also decriminalized 103 offenses and repealed 327 outdated laws in recent years.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Textiles, remarked that Central Ministries and States/UTs are working together to reduce compliance burdens with the objective of simplifying, decriminalizing, and removing redundant legislation.

He was presenting at the National Workshop on Reducing Compliance Burden hosted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). According to the Minister, measures to reduce the compliance burden by simplifying and decriminalizing certain rules can have a multiplier effect on ease of doing business.

To alleviate these constraints, each ministry, department, and state was requested to do a full assessment of compliances under their purview to determine their relevance and logic, as well as complete a complete process re-engineering to eliminate burdensome compliances.

46 penal provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and 12 offenses under the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act, 2008 have been decriminalized by the Centre, and States/UTs have reduced time for granting approvals/licenses, eliminated physical touch-points, and brought transparency to citizens and businesses through business process re-engineering.

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4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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07 October 2021, Mumbai:

Global market research firm Forrester expects sales India’s online retailers to increase by 42 per cent year-over-over to about $9.2 billion during the 2021 festive month. Fashion e-commerce giant Myntra sold four million items on the first day of its festive sales.

The platform witnessed 19 million visitors, of which 40 per cent belonged to the Tier II, III cities and beyond. Women's ethnic, westernwear, beauty and personal care were the top selling apparel categories for women while for men, it was casualwear, occasion wear, workwear and sports apparel.

Myntra has partnered over 5,000 leading fashion and lifestyle brands in the country for its festive sales. Reliance Group’s online fashion e-retailer Ajio also received a tremendous response for its festive sales organized between September 30 and October 4. Multiple celebrities like Sidharth Malhotra and Sonam K Ahuja endorsed the retailer’s #BigBoldSale campaign.

Luxury lifestyle platform Tata CLiQ Luxury is hosting its annual '10 on 10' sale from October 6-15, that will have attractive offers on luxury brands across categories,

Through the '10 on 10' sale, Tata CLiQ Luxury aims to double sales across categories.

Owned by Tata UniStore, Tata CLiQ, operates in categories such as electronics, fashion, footwear and accessories.

According to Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research (CMR), this is where highly niche, uber-luxe, bespoke e-commerce platforms catering to the niche consumer demographic are doing extremely well.

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2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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02 October 2021, Mumbai:

The Union Minister for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises emphasized the significance of Indian manufacturing and expressed his optimism that MSMEs will assist the nation meet its $400 billion (Rs 26.6 lakh crore) export target this fiscal year.

MSME Minister Narayan Rane voiced his trust in India's MSME sector at the India Export Initiative at the IndiaXports 2021 section of the India SME Forum in New Delhi, according to ET Bureau.

MSMEs would be able to assist India to lower its grade deficit by growing its production capacity across the country, according to Rane.

The Indian government has set a goal of $1 trillion in exports by the end of the fiscal year 2027. MSMEs, according to Rane, will be at the forefront of contributing to the export growth required to meet this target.

MSMEs will play a role in decreasing the demand for imports if they obtain sufficient funding to expand their manufacturing capabilities. The Press Trust of India stated that Rane added,

"This [growth] can be done by scaling up India's competitive edge or enhancing the competitiveness of MSMEs and making India a preferred location for manufacturing for the globe."

India has approximately 63 million MSMEs, accounting for around 40% of the country's overall exports.

The clothing, textiles, and handicrafts industries all have a high number of MSMEs. With its ‘Make in India' program, the Indian government is supporting local manufacturing for both large corporations and small enterprises.

TOP 5:

1. Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce company, collaborates with PUMA on the ‘1DER' line, which features batsman KL Rahul

2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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29th September 2021, Mumbai:

The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has created a web called easeoflogistics.com to bring Indian exporters and logistics service providers together on a single platform for improved pricing discovery.

The site provides value to all stakeholders by providing real-time information on container availability. Exporters can directly publish their container requirements for service providers to offer their best estimates, allowing service providers to engage the concerned exporters directly, negotiate container costs, and make future business decisions.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Textiles, just launched this webpage. This program is intended to assist exporters because container supply is a big concern. The platform, which was created to help Indian exporters, provides real-time container availability information.

This implies that if containers aren't easily available on this platform right now, registered exporters may obtain a schedule for when and how many containers will be available, as well as the names and addresses of providers.

Exporters will be able to organize their shipment schedules and confirm business transactions more easily as a result of this.

More than 1,800 exporters and over 300 service providers have already signed up for the platform. FIEO has also received cooperation from all major logistics associations, including Container Shipping Lines (CSLA), Freight Forwarders (FFFAI), and the Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India, to ensure an effective response rate to exporters' demand (AMTOI).

TOP 5:

1. Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce company, collaborates with PUMA on the ‘1DER' line, which features batsman KL Rahul

2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India

3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'

4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22

5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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