NEW DELHI: US-based clothing and accessories retailer GAP Inc plans to increase its sourcing requirements of textiles and clothing from India in the near future. The retail chain headquartered in San Francisco imports products worth a billion dollars annually from Indian manufacturers.
In an open statement, Stan Raggio, Gap Inc’s senior vice president of international outsourcing, said, “We will continue to source from India. We work closely with many stakeholders and receive valuable and important help from the local NGO community that assists our ongoing effort to ensure that our products are manufactured in a socially-responsible way. Our efforts in this important area will continue.”
This statement came after minister of state for labour and employment Harish Rawat said in a written reply to Lok Sabha that GAP has banned the import of Indian textile and clothing on the pretext of Indian units employing child labour.
Terming the statement in Parliament as factually incorrect, AEPC chairman Rakesh Vaid said that such statements may harm Indian garment exports, which are already under stress due to global economic slowdown and have shown declining trends in the past ten months.
The industry has taken positive steps such as external social audits, collaboration with local administration, non-governmental organisations and social activists, concerted action in child labour prone districts, examination of supply chain to ensure that exporters, suppliers and subcontractors conform to child labour laws, he added.
Source : The Economic Times