Union minister Smriti Irani has said that the Indian textiles and garments industry will soon get its own “country-specific” apparel sizes, Business Standard reported.

The textiles minister made the statement at the Vibrant Gujarat summit in state capital Gandhinagar on Sunday. At the moment, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe have their own standard garment sizes.

Irani said the lack of standard apparel sizes was one of the big challenges faced by the garment exporters. “I hereby present the central government’s resolve that ‘Size India’ project will soon be rolled out for the entire country, the first-of-its-kind project in the Indian history,” the minister added.

A statistical study will be launched to figure out demand in the domestic garments market. “Ours is a country that has a capacity to create huge demand, not only for domestic industry but also for an industry that comes from overseas,” The Indian Express quoted the minister as saying.

“Never before in the history of our country was a study done to ascertain the strength and the magnitude of our domestic market,” she said. “The government of India will soon embark upon a statistical study to actually categorise the entire domestic demand of the Indian market so that becomes a base for policy creation and further strengthen industry and manufacturing possibilities.”

Asked about embedded taxes under the Goods and Services Tax and the demand for an increase in rebate on state levies to boost export, Irani said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have resolved that taxes would not be exported. “We are under that resolution… ensuring that you will have good news very soon,” she added.

The minister pointed out that the Modi government had dedicated Rs 7,286 crore only for technology upgradation in the textiles industry, of which Rs 1,855 crore was allotted to Gujarat, thereby benefiting more than 2,100 units.

“Pre-2014, Gujarat was given nice textile parks; post-2014, we under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi have sanctioned 17 textile parks worth Rs 5,614 crore, of which six are already completed,” she said. “Close to Rs 30,000 crore of investment has flown into Gujarat, only and only post the subsidies given by Union government.”