Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Sept 10: Union Textiles Secretary, Neelam Shami Rao, today inaugurated the Animal Fibre Quality Assurance Laboratory at Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry (FVSc & AH), SKUAST-Kashmir, Shuhama Campus. Addressing officers and stakeholders meeting, the Union Secretary underlined the government's commitment to protecting the purity and sanctity of Pashmina, describing it as the "gold standard" of India's natural fibres.
She said that the Ministry is working towards creating a vibrant testing and certification ecosystem for Pashmina and other animal fibres. "Certification, numbering, and coding must be smarter so that every labelled product is traceable. In the next two to three years, we should have reliable data on the number of genuine Pashmina products entering the market," the Secretary said.
Neelam Shami Rao assured that the Ministry would work closely with Customs, BIS, and the Ministry of Environment and Forest to evolve a consensus-driven solution that balances industry requirements with wildlife and animal rights concerns. She stressed the need for expanding the testing infrastructure closer to production areas to reduce logistical challenges.
"We do not want your products to travel to Dehradun, Delhi or Hong Kong for testing. The capacity of existing labs must be augmented, and if more labs are required, the Textiles Ministry will infuse additional funds," the Union Secretary announced.
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