Inaugurating the two-day 56th All India Textile Conference here, he appealed to the Centre, to safeguard the interests of handloom and powerloom sectors while upgrading technology in textile industry. He also demanded removal of the ten-year-old ban on import of shuttleless looms, so that Indian businessmen could import such looms at cheap prices.

MrAwade lamented that Technology Upgradation Fund (TUF) had not been beneficiary to small scale industries and suggested some changes in the rules of TUF for the benefit of small scale units. Union textile commissioner BC Khatua, advocated systematic upgradation of technology to compete globally. MrAwade on this occasion conferred honarary memberships and gave away awards of service.

The Textile Association of India, president, RK Dalmia while delivering the presidential address said "if we put together all our efforts in a co-ordinated manner, the Indian textile industry will definitely attain new heights of success".

He also asserted that the Indian textile industry has no other alternative, but to go for radical and rapid modernisations, along with restructuring as well as rationalisation of labour, so that it can claim its rightful place in the international market.