The Central government has announced that it will be relocating the Textile Commissioner's Office from Mumbai to New Delhi. The decision was made to improve efficiency and make optimal use of resources.
The move will also see the strengthening of the Ministry of Textiles' technical arm by transferring the Textile Commissioner and other important officials to the Ministry. Officers and staff from the head office and field offices will be deployed or deputed to the Textile Committee head office and field offices.
Under Secretary in the ministry of textiles, Jayashree Sivakumar communicated the decision in writing to the Textile Commissioner, Roop Rashi.
As a first step towards restructuring and merging, the Textile Commissioner and some key employees, including one Joint Textile Commissioner, two Deputy Secretary level (Director rank), and two Deputy Director level officers, will be relocated to New Delhi.
The Textile Commissioner's Office provides technical advice to the Ministry of Textiles and has eight regional offices across India. The regional offices conduct techno-economic surveys and advise the government on the overall economic health of the textiles industry. The Office was formed in 1943 during World War II to coordinate the provision of clothing to military and civilian populations.
After the war, the office had a regulatory role in managing prices, distribution, and control of specific types of cloth intended for civilian use. After independence, the office shifted to a developmental function and helped modernise and expand every sector of the textile and apparel industry.
The relocation of the Textile Commissioner's Office and other officials is expected to be completed by April 5, 2023. The restructuring is expected to improve efficiency and strengthen the technical arm of the Ministry of Textiles.
The Office has historically been headed by senior IAS officers, and many IAS officials from the Maharashtra cadre used to apply for the position because it was in Mumbai, allowing them to finish their central deputation tenure as well. However, the move to New Delhi is expected to attract a new crop of talented and capable officers to the position.
The decision to relocate the Textile Commissioner's office from Mumbai to Delhi has sparked criticism from various quarters, including Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and other party members. Raut argued that Mumbai has always been a significant textile hub and that the move to shift the office devalues Mumbai's importance.
The relocation of the Textile Commissioner's office is part of a larger trend of moving several significant offices and projects from Mumbai to Delhi and Gujarat.
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