Nitin Gadkari bats for balanced growth, pushes textile and yarn revival in Vidarbha

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has called for region-wide industrial growth in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha, stressing the need for sector-specific planning, modernisation, and inclusive policies that reach grassroots levels. He was speaking at the launch of the ‘Advantage Vidarbha - 2025’ report.

Gadkari emphasised Vidarbha’s development should not be confined to urban centres and highlighted the importance of leveraging each district’s unique strengths. He pointed to the silk and handloom clusters in Dhapewada and the textile base in Amravati as examples of the region’s untapped potential.

Highlighting rural employment, Gadkari announced plans to deploy electric looms in village clusters and shared that a new non-profit textile enterprise in Dhapewada has already created jobs for over 1,500 women. He underlined the significance of such decentralised initiatives in strengthening the regional textile ecosystem.

Amravati, he noted, will emerge as Vidarbha’s textile hub, with further opportunities in yarn production, printing, and fabric processing. To fully realise this potential, Gadkari urged the adoption of automation and digital tools to modernise traditional practices and enhance market access for rural artisans both locally and globally. This push signals a broader shift toward rural-led, tech-powered textile growth in the region.