SRINAGAR: As many as 174 textile-sector micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Jammu and Kashmir shut down between April 2023 and March 2026, affecting 886 jobs, according to data tabled by the Union Ministry of Textiles in the Lok Sabha.
The figures, based on the Udyam Registration Portal, show that JK accounted for 174 of the 7,894 textile MSMEs reported to have shut down across India during the three-year period, with 59,374 jobs recorded as affected nationally.
The Ministry said that 36,00,012 textile-sector MSMEs were registered and active on the Udyam Portal as of March 31, 2026. During April 2023-March 2026, 24,73,634 textile MSMEs were registered, while the 7,894 units reported as shut down represented around 0.32 per cent of the MSMEs registered during the period.
J&K also received Rs 35.73 crore in released and utilised Central government funds under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP), now subsumed under the Textile Cluster Development Scheme (TCDS). The approved Government of India share for J&K under the scheme was Rs 39.70 crore.
The Ministry said the SITP had sanctioned 50 projects nationally, of which 33 had been completed, while the scheme is now being implemented only for completion of ongoing projects.
At the national level, India’s textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, rose from Rs 2,49,250 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 3,25,339 crore in 2025-26, registering a compound annual growth rate of about 4.5 per cent. Exports in 2025-26 were 1.8 per cent higher than the Rs 3,19,573 crore recorded in 2024-25.
Tamil Nadu remained the largest exporting State in 2025-26 with exports worth Rs 68,792 crore, followed by Gujarat at Rs 50,947 crore, Haryana at Rs 35,060 crore, Maharashtra at Rs 32,842 crore and Uttar Pradesh at Rs 34,829 crore.
The Government said it was addressing concerns over raw material costs, import duties and global demand through measures including temporary exemption from customs duty on cotton imports from June 1 to October 31, 2026, duty exemptions on key man-made fibre inputs such as PTA and MEG, and rationalisation of GST rates in the MMF value chain.
It said measures to strengthen the sector also include PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks, the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Textiles, the National Technical Textiles Mission, SAMARTH and export-support initiatives.
For sustainability and international standards, the Ministry cited the Tex-Eco Initiative, an ESG Task Force, circular-economy initiatives and projects aimed at reducing hazardous chemicals, greenhouse-gas emissions and textile waste.
The Government has also extended the RODTEP and RoSCTL schemes up to September 30, 2026, and adopted a market-diversification strategy covering 40 priority countries.
