Textile resources and industries in Haryana & neighbouring cities:

Haryana boasts of robust handloom traditions, especially in Panipat and an equally

vibrant handicraft tradition. Panipat, is a major textile town of India, famous for its rugs & upholstery
fabrics which are marketed all over the world. Traditionally women would weave durries (rugs) and
khes (thick coverlets) for household use whenever they would be free from agricultural and
household work. Today, Panipat, is an export hub for cotton durries, mats, carpets, floor coverings
etc. The City has more than 350 registered exporters for handloom & textile goods. According to an
estimate, from this city goods worth over `` 2000 crores (approx.) are exported worldwide. Goods
that are exported include woollen carpets, durries and handloom products amongst others. Many
exporters feel a need for designers and creative products development is hampered because of this.
NIFT Panchkula designers can fulfil this need.
The Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructural Development Corporation (HSIIDC), of
Government of Haryana is setting up a Textile Park in Barhi, Sonipat. This is expected to generate
annual garment business of around ` 750 crore and create 7,500 jobs. This is in conjunction with
industrial hubs already established viz. a footwear park in Bahadurgarh, an export promotion park in
Kundli, industrial model towns in various cities, petro hub in Panipat. The Textile Park at Barhi,
Sonipat is proposed to be spread over 390 acres and already plots have been allotted to 245 units,
which have started production, and approximately 150 units are in the final stage of construction.
Barhi Textile Park is mainly dealing in garment business, whereas in Panipat, textile business is based
on home furnishing products.
The textile park of Sonipat has attracted many garment manufacturers from India
and overseas. Many entrepreneurs from Gurgaon, Delhi and Panipat have setup their projects in this
area. Some overseas players who have shown interest include companies from Korea namely Kaico
Deer Abrasive Pvt. Ltd. & EOC Polymers Ltd. from Belgium. In addition to above, there are a large
number of industries in Yamuna Nagar which is not far from Panchkula. There is going to be
adequate demand of specialist designers for various industries.
Textile Industries spanning all sectors inclusive of spinning, weaving, knitting,
worsted, processing, terry towels, industrial yarns, garments, made-ups, denim, shawls and all
concerned services are spread across several clusters. Among these various clusters the major chunk
of the organized mill sectors are situated in an around Ludhiana & Chandigarh with the
manufacturing facilities situated mostly at Lalru (Haryana), Nalagarh & Baddi (HP), and in major agro
belt of Punjab at the outskirts of Ludhiana. Easy availability of raw materials & abundant labour,
government friendly sops in terms of subsidies and tax holidays has made these places attractive
propositions for the business houses to invest in textile business. The region boasts of the presence
of some big names like Winsome, Nahar, Vardhman, Oswal, Trident etc.
The exciting market dynamics demand the process of handicraft be maintained but
newer elements in the product be introduced. Furthermore, traditional products have become a
fashionable wear. The lack of newer elements in traditional products affects the marketability. To
plug this gap, and create novelty in traditional products, new inputs should be introduced. This will
require agents of change who can steer forward the process successfully.

There is a dearth of expertise in incorporating design values and corresponding business

professionalism. This has necessitated a paradigm shift in business thinking and business value
chain.
While the world has embraced the virtual market space alongside the real market
space, the artisans are grappling to adjust to the new dynamics. New intermediaries have appeared
adding to the already existing barrier. Even though the demand and business are in excess, the
earnings of artisans remain the same. A serious makeover coupled with professional intervention in
all its form is the need of the hour. While intervention may take various forms, one such intervention
is creating harbingers of change who can steer the process.
With many such leading industries in Haryana region there is a high demand
for professionals in these areas. This can be fulfilled by the creative professionals who have acquired
formal training in various areas of fashion design, technology and management graduates that NIFT
campus will eminently meet the need. Establishment of NIFT in the state will also meet the needs of
the artisans and meet an objective of contributing towards the socio-economic development of the
craft / handloom sectors of the State. The proposed institute would also address the fast increasing
gap in demand and supply of quality professionals in this area.
Panchkula, a planned city in Panchkula district of Haryana, is also a satellite
city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and part of the Chandigarh Capital region. It also shares
seamless borders with Mohali district in Punjab. The city has sufficient infrastructure / material
facilities required for construction of NIFT. Hence, an ideal location for the possibilities of substantial
inflow of students aiming for career in fashion technology from the neighbouring states
i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh in addition to
Haryana.
A committee of two members of the Board of Governors (BoG) of NIFT had
submitted a feasibility report for a NIFT campus at Panchkula. On 19th July 2012, Shri Anand Sharma,
Minister of Textiles, Government of India, in a public function, in the presence of the Chief Minister
of Haryana announced the decision to establish a NIFT campus at Panchkula. The BOG in its meeting
held on 23rd July 2012 gave an in-principle approval for this campus and requested to obtain
financial commitments from Government of Haryana to fund the project.