SRINAGAR: The textile and apparel sector in Jammu and Kashmir has provided employment to over 2.3 lakh people, while exports from the Union Territory crossed Rs 850 crore in the financial year 2025-26, the Ministry of Textiles informed the Rajya Sabha. The ministry said expenditure in the textile sector, including Jammu and Kashmir, stood at Rs 3,059.25 crore in 2023-24, Rs 2,998.46 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 5,540 crore in 2025-26. The ministry said textile and apparel exports from Jammu and Kashmir, including handicrafts, recorded steady growth over the last three years. Exports stood at Rs 734.6 crore in 2023-24, Rs 781.2 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 856.9 crore in 2025-26. It added that schemes such as SAMARTH focus on skill development and placement-oriented training, while Silk Samagra-2 and the Integrated Wool Development Programme support sericulture and wool-based livelihoods.