Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani presides over first convocation of NIFT Srinagar

11 April 2021: The first convocation of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Srinagar was held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar. Union Minister for Textiles and Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani was the Chief Guest on the occasion and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju was the Guest of Honour. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha attended the ceremony through video conferencing from Raj Bhawan Jammu.

Speaking on the occasion, Smriti Irani said that the first batch of NIFT Srinagar has added a golden page in the 35-year-old history of the institution. The Minister said that Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir has recently announced a package of Rs.30,000 Crore as part of the J&K Industrial Policy and urged upon the students to put in their best efforts to reap benefit from it.

Smriti Irani added that the field of technical textiles, which involves production and design of textiles for use in industries other than apparel and decoration, is going to be the next big thing in the future and the Textiles Ministry is making efforts to utilise its potential to the fullest.

Congratulating the graduates and their parents, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju urged the students to make best use of the opportunities available to them as the apparel and fashion industry has a lot of potential. He said that the youth of India has an important role to play in defining and portraying soft image and soft power of the country and that the alumni of NIFT Srinagar will play a pioneering role in this direction.

NIFT Srinagar offers two undergraduate courses in Fashion Design and Fashion Communication of four years duration each.