Satish R. Tendulkar has been elected as the President of the Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association, representing North Karnataka’s largest fraternity of textile, handloom, and silk traders. The announcement was made during the Association’s Annual General Body Meeting, where outgoing president Hemendra Porwal officially handed over the charge to the new leadership.
In his presidential address, Tendulkar highlighted Belagavi’s rich legacy as one of India’s prominent textile hubs, known for its sarees, silk, yarn, and handloom trade. He stated that the textile market contributes nearly 65% to Belagavi’s GDP and provides employment to over 35% of the local population, placing it on par with the city’s industrial sector.
He further emphasised that Belagavi is among the leading contributors to GST revenue in the textile segment nationwide, owing to its vast network of traders and manufacturers who attract buyers from across states.
Tendulkar outlined his agenda to strengthen the city’s textile ecosystem by focusing on cleanliness, customer parking facilities, safety and security, theft prevention, women-friendly amenities including pink toilets, and the introduction of a local shuttle bus service.
To boost trade and visibility, he announced plans to promote “Shopping Tourism” in collaboration with the Government of Goa and the Goa Chamber of Commerce, aiming to attract Goan buyers and tourists to Belagavi’s textile, silk, and handloom markets.
He also revealed that under his leadership, a draft proposal for establishing a modern, well-equipped Textile Cluster in Belagavi will be submitted to the Ministry of Textiles at both the state and national levels.
The newly elected office bearers are as follows:
- President: Shri Satish R. Tendulkar
- Hon. Vice Presidents: Shri Mukesh J. Sanghavi and Shri Raju Paliwala
- Hon. Secretary: Shri Mukesh Khoda
- Hon. Joint Secretary: Shri Kamalesh Khoda
- Hon. Treasurer: Shri Lalchand Chapru
- Hon. Joint Treasurer: Shri Nitesh Jain
Disclaimer: The Editor is a member of the Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association (BCMA).