More women join textile industry in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Textile industry is second only to agriculture in providing employment in India. In the past five years, the number of women employees has increased by 15% in textile industry nationally and double the rate in Gujarat. The industry experts believe that better work environment, consistent income and other incentives by employers are attracting women into textile industry, especially in garment and fabric sections.

According to Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), around 3.5 crore people are working in textile industry in India, of which nearly 2 crore are women. “In the last five years, the industry has seen growth of over 15% in women employment. In Tamil Nadu, there are few companies which employ only women,” said D K Nair, secretary, CITI.

According to rough estimates, close to 90 lakh people are working in textile industry in Gujarat, including 45 lakh to 50 lakh women. “Around 80% of the women are employed in garment sector followed by fabric and other sectors in the industry. According to a recent study, some 10,000 women are involved in stitching garments in and around Ahmedabad itself,” said Dr Chandan Chatterjee, director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Gujarat.

Currently, leading textile player Arvind Ltd has 3,753 women on its roll. In the last five years, number of women employees in Arvind Ltd has increased by more than 1,300. “Our garment business is driven 100% by women employees. We not only focus on hiring locals but also workers from outside the state at our facilities. Even in our new fire retardant garmenting division, we are looking to get an all-woman workforce,” said Rachna Mehra, HR head, Arvind Ltd.

Many companies have set up skill development centres wherein women in large numbers are being trained. “In our new unit set up in Apparel Park in Khokhra, more than 60% of employees are women,” said Bhavin Parikh, CEO, Globe Textiles. Globe Textiles also runs a training centre wherein more than 50% women enroll for skill development. “There are several women who are working with us for more than seven years,” added Parikh.