• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
Podcast Episode
Carnegie India

Abhishek Anand and Naveen Joseph Thomas on Reigniting India's Manmade Clothing Sector

In this episode of Interpreting India, Abhishek Anand and Naveen Joseph Thomas join Suyash Rai to discuss how India can reignite its manmade clothing sector.

Link Copied
By Suyash Rai, Abhishek Anand, Naveen Joseph
Published on Mar 23, 2023

Subscribe on

SpotifyApple PodcastsAmazon MusicYoutube

Additional Links

Listen to the Episode

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Interpreting India, Abhishek Anand and Naveen Joseph Thomas join Suyash Rai to discuss how India can reignite its manmade clothing sector.

EPISODE NOTES

A major puzzle for the Indian economy in the last one decade has been the weak performance in the textiles and apparel sectors. In real terms, the apparels sector has grown marginally and the textiles sector has witnessed a decline. India’s share in world trade in textiles and apparels has also declined considerably. Between the late-1990s and early 2010s, India’s share in the textiles trade has doubled, as the Indian economy revealed its comparative advantage in a variety of products in this category. But since then, India’s share in textiles trade has declined, even as many other countries have increased their share. The causes for this sudden reversal in a crucial sector is worth understanding. 

In this episode of Interpreting India, Abhishek Anand and Naveen Joseph Thomas join Suyash Rai to discuss how India can reignite its manmade clothing sector. 

Hosted by

Suyash Rai
Former Fellow, Carnegie India
Suyash Rai

Featuring

Abhishek Anand
Naveen Joseph

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Interpreting India

  • Podcast Episode
    Inside the Iran Conflict: Power, Strategy, and India’s Balancing Act

    In this episode of Interpreting India, Srinath Raghavan speaks with Gaddam Dharmendra, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie India and India’s former Ambassador to Iran about the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and what it means for the region. The conversation looks at Iran’s response to sustained attacks, the wider impact on energy markets and regional stability, and the changing relationships between Iran, the Gulf countries, and global powers. It also reflects on India’s position as it balances its ties across West Asia while navigating strategic and economic pressures, and what lies ahead as the conflict continues to shape the region.

      Srinath Raghavan, Gaddam Dharmendra

  • Podcast Episode
    Recalibrating BRICS: India’s Moment in a Fragmented World

    In this episode of Interpreting India, Vrinda Sahai is joined by Ana Garcia, Associate Professor at PUC-Rio and Coordinator at the BRICS Policy Center, to discuss the evolving direction of BRICS as India assumes the 2026 presidency. The conversation reflects on Brazil’s 2025 chairship, the bloc’s continued focus on reforming global financial governance, and the cautious progress on issues such as local currency trade, financial coordination, and institutional reform. Ana Garcia also highlights the limits of BRICS as a unified geopolitical actor and outlines key priorities for India, including strengthening financial mechanisms, advancing climate and health cooperation, and consolidating the expanded BRICS membership.

      Vrinda Sahai, Ana Garcia

  • Podcast Episode
    Deciphering the “Mother of All Trade Deals”: The India–EU FTA

    In this episode of Interpreting India, Dinakar Peri is joined by Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and a veteran trade negotiator, to unpack the newly concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement and why he describes it as the “mother of all trade deals” for India. Kumar explains why the agreement is strategically significant, why the timing matters, and what it signals about India’s trade posture, competitiveness, and broader alignment between trade, technology, and security.

      Dinakar Peri, Mohan Kumar

  • Podcast Episode
    AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale: The UCAF Framework

    In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Shalini Kapoor, chief strategist for Data and AI at the EkStep Foundation, and Tanvi Lall, director for strategy at People+ai. They unpack why so many AI initiatives get stuck after impressive demos, and what it takes to move from pilots to real, sustained adoption. Drawing on research spanning 1,000+ use cases across 25 countries, the guests introduce the Use Case Adoption Framework (UCAF) and explain how India can translate AI ambition into population-scale impact—especially across public services, agriculture, health, and other high-priority sectors.

      Nidhi Singh, Shalini Kapoor, Tanvi Lall

  • Podcast Episode
    Scarcity, Sovereignty, Strategy: Mapping the Political Geography of AI Compute

    In this episode of Interpreting India, Adarsh Ranjan is joined by Zoe Jay Hawkins, co-founder and deputy executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. They explore the evolving idea of AI sovereignty, the geopolitics of compute, and how countries are navigating access to the foundational infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence. Drawing from her research at the Oxford Internet Institute, Zoe unpacks the political geography of AI compute, the rising concentration of AI chips and data centers, and what this means for both developed and developing economies.

      Adarsh Ranjan, Zoe Jay Hawkins

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.