Secretary (Textiles), and Chairperson of Textiles Committee, Smt. Neelam Shami Rao undertook a comprehensive two-day visit to Mumbai from November 13-14, 2025, to review the ongoing programmes, institutional performance, and policy implementation progress of various bodies functioning under the Ministry of Textiles.

She was accompanied by Dr M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), during the review of activities related to handlooms and allied sectors. On the first day of her visit, she interacted with Ms Anshu Sinha, Principal Secretary (Textiles), Government of Maharashtra and other senior officers of Maharashtra Textiles.

She deliberated on bringing in synergy with both state and central implementation of central schemes in the state of Maharashtra and discussed the issues affecting the growth of the sector in the state.

The visit commenced with a detailed review meeting at the Textiles Committee, where the Secretary examined the activities of the organisation vis-à-vis the functions envisaged in the Textiles Committee Act, 1963 and advised to restructure and reorient its activities so as to meet the objectives of the Act .

She emphasised the growing needs of the industry in scientific, technical & economic research and attributed the functions of the Textiles Committee to these and appreciated the effort of the Textiles Committee for commitment to industrial Research and quality improvement in the Textiles Value chain.

The review centred on SASMIRA’s ongoing R&D in technical textiles, manmade fibres, and green textile innovations. She emphasised the need to align SASMIRA’s research activities with global sustainability and recycling objectives.