Gujarat commerce chamber to promote textiles in Bodoland areas

South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry will take a special initiative to promote textiles in Assam's Bodoland Territorial Region to help the weavers and sector growth, SGCCI President Ashish Gujrati said on Saturday.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the SGCCI Expo 2022 held at Surat in Gujarat on Saturday, a press release said.

He said the chamber -- which represents the major textile industries of the country -- will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) administration, headed by Pramod Boro, soon as part of the Bodoland Textiles Mission in Assam.

The expo was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Textiles and Railways Darshana V Jardosh in the presence of BTR chief Boro and representatives from the textiles industry.

Bodoland textiles sector was the focus of the inaugural session of the expo.

In accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for 'Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat', the union minister stressed the need to support the BTR areas to achieve their full potential in the textile sector by using modern technology and market linkages to add to the traditional strengths of the weavers.

The minister, who had visited the BTR areas twice recently, inaugurated the Bodoland Textiles Mission along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Kokrajhar.

She said a new era of collaboration between the BTR and Surat textiles industry will commence with the signing of the MoU with the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SIGCCI).

The BTR chief highlighted the traditional strengths of Bodo weavers and the beautiful garments produced by them and appealed to the industry representatives to participate in the mission through sharing of technology and knowledge, skill development and training, among other initiatives.

Boro said as peace prevails in BTR areas after a long period, the environment is conducive for taking steps to harness the economy of the region.

He also invited investors and experts to contribute towards the growth of the textiles sector in Assam.

The Bodoland delegation, led by Boro, also interacted with different textile companies in the expo.

He was accompanied by Arup Kumar Dey, executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council, and other officials.

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