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The Indian footwear market regained a 20 per cent growth in 2021-22. This market witnessed a 13 per cent growth on an average from 2015 to 2019 but reduced sharply in 2020-21 due to Covid-19 pandemic, said Rajiv Singh Thakur, Additional Secretary, the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), the ministry of commerce, on Tuesday.
The additional secretary said that the industry is worth around Rs 82,000 crore and the exports were valued at around Rs 42,000 crore. According to Rajiv Singh Thakur, India contributes 2.65 per cent to the global export in the sector. The Indian footwear and leather industry provides employment close to 4.42 million people, mainly women and the weaker sections of society. The sector is dominated by family-oriented business enterprises of small and medium nature, the additional secretary said. The footwear, leather and accessories sector is associated with high growth employment potential with the presence of an entire value chain in India. Giving update on the initiative taken by the government to promote footwear and leather industry, Thakur said that in the past nine years, a total of Rs 2,198 crore released under the Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP). The central government on January 19, 2022, has approved the continuation of the central sector scheme -- Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP) -- till March 31, 2026, or till further review, according to a statement from ministry of commerce and industry. IFLDP has been approved for implementation with six sub-schemes and these are Sustainable Technology and Environmental Promotion (STEP), Integrated Development of Leather Sector (IDLS), Mega Leather Footwear and Accessories Cluster Development (MLFACD), Establishment of Institutional Facilities (EIF), Brand Promotion of Indian Brands in Footwear and Leather Sector and Development of Design Studios in Footwear and Leather Sector. (ANI)
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