International MSME Day: Surat’s Textile MSMEs Gear Up for Energy Efficiency and Finance Workshop
Ahmedabad/Surat: In a bid to advance energy efficiency in the textile industry, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), South Gujarat Textile Processors Association (SGTPA), and WRI India have collaborated to host an ‘Energy Efficiency and Finance Workshop’ in Surat on International MSME Day, June 27.
Recognised as India’s textile powerhouse, Surat’s Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will benefit from the event’s platform, which facilitates engagement with technology providers and financing agencies, and explores other support avenues.
The workshop aims to bring together over 80 stakeholders, including textile MSMEs, policymakers, energy-efficient technology providers and financing agencies, such as the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The workshop will offer textile MSMEs the opportunity to access critical technologies, financial resources, and knowledge, all essential for their sustainable development. Additionally, transitioning textile MSMEs to energy-efficient technologies offers significant cost savings, with potential reductions in energy consumption, improving productivity, and ensuring regulatory compliance, thus enhancing their competitiveness and reducing production costs.
Senior officials from central and state governments, including Saurabh Sinha, Deputy Director (Technical), Ministry of Textiles, Dr. Jignasha Oza from GPCB, and Amita Pandya, Senior Project Executive at GEDA, are slated to share their insights on the energy-efficient transition in the textile sector and its benefits. Additionally, Jitendra Vakharia, President of SGTPA, is slated to share his views on the issue from an industry point of view.
This event is a key component of the RISE (Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Enterprises) Surat initiative of WRI India, supported by the Ares Charitable Foundation’s Climate Resilient Employees for a Sustainable Tomorrow (CREST) initiative. The primary aim of RISE Surat, launched on August 28, 2023, is to equip at least 50 MSMEs and 500 workers in Surat’s textile sector with the tools, knowledge, and skills required for a low-carbon transition in India.
Earlier in March, an Investment Bazaar workshop was held in Ahmedabad, attracting over 65 participants. The Surat workshop aims to continue this momentum by connecting MSMEs with key energy-efficient technology providers and financing agencies.
As WRI India, along with GPCB and SGTPA, has already initiated skilling training in all four fundamental pillars of the RISE Surat initiative—climate resilience, decarbonization, skilling, and financing—this event will provide MSMEs with the necessary support to drive the transition towards low-carbon industries.
GEDA, the co-host of the workshop, along with WRI India, will facilitate the engagement of interested MSMEs with energy-efficient technology providers and financing agencies, and identify other areas of support.
