President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that the government is providing an ecosystem and incentives to encourage investment in the footwear sector and urged students to turn entrepreneurs to boost the sector.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) in New Delhi, the President said that India is becoming increasingly self-reliant and capable of further expanding its economic role on the global economic stage.

She expressed happiness that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has given the status of ‘Champion Sector’ to the footwear sector under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

The President noted that India ranks second in the world in terms of footwear production and consumption. During the fiscal year 2024-25, India's footwear exports were over $2500 million, while our footwear imports were approximately $680 million.

So, India's footwear exports are almost four times that of imports, she said.

She stated that to further increase our exports, the footwear business needs to be expanded.

And this expansion will increase opportunities for the students to become entrepreneurs and create employment or find employment in enterprises, she said.

The President was happy to note the signing of an MoU between FDDI and the University of Northampton.

Murmu said that this marks another dimension of the deepening of our cooperation under the Free Trade Agreement between India and the United Kingdom.

She underlined that this MoU places special emphasis on sustainable materials and circular economy practices. She said that such efforts reflect both countries' commitment to environmental conservation.

The President said that the field of footwear design has many important dimensions. She advised graduating students to proceed in their field with the broad vision that they will make multifaceted contributions to society and the country through their work.

She urged them to work towards improving the health and functionality of the people through their footwear design; to create employment for people through their work; to enable those who have been relatively left behind in the development journey to participate in economic development through their work; to strengthen our economy by contributing to India's exports; to become India's brand ambassadors in the global market through their quality products; and to make a significant contribution to achieving the national goal of 'Self-reliant India'.