Govt was sleeping at wheel: Congress on 'fall' in India's garment exports

On Thursday, the Congress party launched a scathing attack on the government over reports that Bangladesh and Vietnam have overtaken India’s garment exports in the past decade. Alleging negligence, the Congress claimed the Centre was ‘sleeping at the wheel.’

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a news report citing Global Trade Research Initiative data, which claimed that India’s garment exports for 2023-24 stood at USD 14.5 billion, down from USD 15 billion in 2013-14.

Ramesh emphasized the irony, noting that Finance Minister had previously lauded labor-intensive sectors as vital for job creation. ‘In 2013-14, India’s garment exports were USD 15 billion, second only to China. By 2023-24, they had declined to USD 14.5 billion,’ he pointed out. Ramesh stressed that Vietnam and Bangladesh have far outpaced India’s growth in this sector, calling the situation a clear case of self-strangulation due to government inaction.