- Why in news
- On 8 January 2026, at the National Textiles Ministers' Conference in Guwahati, the Ministry of Textiles signed MoUs with 15 States under the Tex-RAMPS scheme to strengthen textile data systems and planning.
- What it is
- Tex-RAMPS (Textiles focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning And Start-Up) is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Textiles. It aims to improve the coverage, quality, timeliness and credibility of textile statistics and research, so that policy rests on evidence.
- Scheme type
- Tex-RAMPS is a Central Sector Scheme, funded by the Centre, aimed at better textile statistics and research.
- State/UT grant
- Each State/UT gets a yearly grant of ₹12 lakh under the MoUs.
- District grant
- An extra ₹1 lakh per year per district, released against development and execution of district action plans.
- Sectors covered
- Integrated planning covers handlooms, handicrafts, apparel and technical textiles, at cluster and district levels.
- Goal
- The data push supports the roadmap to a US$350 billion textile industry.
Don’t confuse with Central Sector Scheme vs Centrally Sponsored Scheme: Central Sector Schemes are fully funded and run by the Centre. Centrally Sponsored Schemes are shared with States in a set ratio. Tex-RAMPS is described as Central Sector, though it gives grants to States.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Reliable cluster and district data helps target support to handloom, handicraft and technical textile units.
- The MoUs with States reflect cooperative federalism in planning.
Problems
- Weak State statistical capacity and uneven data quality across districts.
- Small grants may not be enough to build lasting data systems.
Way forward
- Link district action plans with national data portals and regular audits of data quality.
- Train State and district staff and use the data for scheme design and monitoring.
Put in your answer
Industry target: Policy roadmap aims at a US$350 billion textile industry, needing real-time data.
- 2017Mains GS3 · Q2Why manufacturing failed labour-intensive exports like textiles; suggested remedies
- 2022Prelims Q7Which activities constitute the real sector, including textile mills converting cotton
- 2026Prelims Q29Implications of Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk in global textile markets
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Central Sector Scheme with grants to States; schemes are 16% of Prelims news questions, but this is a niche statistics scheme with few testable facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.