The National Textiles Ministers' Conference 2026 opened in Guwahati on January 8, 2026, bringing together textile ministers from all states and union territories to coordinate national textile policy. Union Minister of Textiles chaired the conference, which focused on creating a unified strategy to boost India's textile sector.

Key agenda items included promotion of technical textiles, integration of handloom and powerloom weavers into formal supply chains, expansion of PM MITRA mega textile parks across states, and adoption of sustainable manufacturing practices. The conference discussed skill development under the Samarth scheme and harmonisation of quality standards across states.

India's textile industry contributes approximately 2.3% to GDP and employs over 45 million workers directly and 100 million indirectly. The sector accounts for 12% of India's total manufacturing output. The choice of Guwahati as the venue underscored the government's focus on northeastern textiles, particularly Assam's silk production which accounts for over 70% of India's raw silk output.

The conference also addressed challenges of fragmented policymaking across states that has hindered the sector's global competitiveness. States were urged to develop state-specific textile action plans aligned with the national framework. Discussions covered export promotion strategies to achieve India's target of USD 100 billion in textile exports, reducing compliance burden on MSMEs, and leveraging e-commerce platforms for handloom marketing. Participating ministers signed a joint declaration committing to coordinate implementation of central schemes at the state level.