About Us

Council For Footwear, Leather and Accessories

The Council For Footwear, Leather and Accessories (CFLA) was set up in February 2016 under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, as the sectoral association dedicated to promoting the interests of domestic companies in the footwear, leather and accessories segment of Indian industry. A non-government, non-profit, industry-led and managed organization, the setting up of CFLA fulfils a crucial gap in the representation of one of the country’s major manufacturing sectors, one that has the potential to bolster both growth and huge employment generation, especially at the grassroots level.

Set up to represent domestic companies across the footwear, leather and accessories manufacturing value chain, the council’s activities focus on four pillars: policy advocacy and government initiatives, marketing and branding, skill and technology upgradation, and start-up services. Promoted by the bellwethers of the Indian footwear industry, such as Liberty, Woodlands, Relaxo, Lee-Cooper, Action, Lakhani, Da-Milano and Bata, to name a few, and drawing strength and expertise from its membership, CFLA activities stem from the requirements of this industry and national movements such as Make in India, Skill India and Zero Defect Zero Effect, and attempt to alter existing paradigms in the economic and social ecosystem of the footwear and leather industry.

The council’s activities are structured to assist industry players in reaching out to government departments, newer consumer segments, global industry institutions and best practices, and to each other, in order to present a united, consolidated industry that is in step with the world. CFLA’s vision is to be an entity with deep industry insights and engaging relationships with all stakeholders in the footwear leather and accessories industry, together aiming for a more structured and growth-oriented industry.

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Our Mission & Vision

Committed for a More Structured and Developed Footwear Industry

To be an enabler for the domestic footwear, leather and accessories manufacturing and exports industry, to strive for a vibrant and globally-competitive industry that contributes to sustainable development through value addition and job creation

Chairman’s Message

Chairman Sh. Adesh Gupta

Shri. Adesh Gupta (Chairman)

Dear Members and Friends,

It is indeed my great pleasure and honour to address you as the chairman of the Council for Footwear, Leather and Accessories (CFLA). I am privileged to be alongside board members in building this pioneering organisation in the domestic footwear, leather and accessories space. Ever since its launch in February 2016, CFLA has successfully steered this industry towards a whole new era of coordination and cooperation of various stakeholders for the collective good of this sector. CFLA surely has a long way to go in fulfilling its objectives; however, we have a very committed team and captains of our industry as our members who are preparing a vision for this sector and addressing the challenges and issues of common concern.

The presence and active participation of members in all CFLA meets is testament to the success of the CFLA leadership. It highlights the excellent progress we have achieved in a very short span of time. Equally important will be the continuous expansion and drive of our membership base of MSME, SME, LSE, which will be reflection of the strong interest in the portfolio of services provided by the council, in addition to the role that the domestic sector plays in the industry and its future. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering confidence and support rendered to us by our member companies and stakeholders. With the support of our members, our journey towards excellence will continue with the same vigour and energy, and we are ready to meet the challenges that will come our way.

Achievements

Year 2015 was one of the most challenging years in business history. As the year progressed, we experienced unprecedented economic instability internationally, a bearish sentiment persisted in the global economy, and closer home, the consumption, retail and manufacturing sectors certainly played a major role at micro and macro-economic levels. Our strategy since early 2016 was to target the root causes and factors. CFLA explored options such as strategic alliances with state governments and industry leaders to reduce the risk exposure and manage the growth of the sector.

CFLA made a strong presentation at the Happening Haryana forum and ensured that the Haryana state government took notice of the sector. The state government took note of our recommendations, and has notified and extended many new incentives in its industrial policy, the Enterprises Promotion Policy (EPP) 2015. In addition, the council has dwelt at length upon the policies of the government on VAT, and with highest emphasis at my command, we deliberated and succeeded in getting the VAT duty on footwear to 5% duty in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, I am proud to share that our proposal to rationalise the excise duty rate from 12% to 6% has also been implemented by the Central government. Also, we had claimed that certain prevailing policies are major impediments to growth and to which the government has relinquished and accepted our request to bring the abetment on footwear to 30%.

At the other state level representations, thanks to the dedication of several of our core members, we have established six anchors: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab. Through these new anchors, the association will help raise the level of awareness as well as the degree of implementation of VAT and GST issues, and will facilitate and encourage state governments to increase their commitment to the domestic sector. At the scale of our sector, at each stage of its growth, we will continue to embody the robust values we share with our stakeholders, members and the fraternity.

Targets 2016-17

As one of the first tasks, we shall initiate national- and state-level studies for our sector and map the entire footwear, leather and accessories sector. In the coming months, we shall establish the annual CFLA forum as one of the pivotal events in the footwear and accessories calendar. We will continue working to support and protect the interests of the footwear, leather and accessories industry, as well as allied communities, providing a value-added networking environment as well as a platform for lobbying the government (national and state) on behalf of our industry. In this way, I believe we can continue to positively impact the sector’s regulatory framework and business environment, and thus help attract more entrepreneurs and investors to set up shop in India.

We will be working closely with the entire elected board and distinguished committee members, continuing to build on our standing as a leading industry association within the country. The primary goal for CFLA in the years ahead will be to demonstrate its position as a leading industry association. Please feel free to reach out to me or my colleagues if you have any suggestions on how to make the association more meaningful and result oriented.

The primary goal for the CFLA in the years ahead will be to demonstrates its position as a leading industry association. Please feel free to reach out to myself or my colleagues if you have any suggestions on how to make the association more meaningful and result oriented.

I look forward to seeing you at some of our events.

About the Council

The Council for Footwear, Leather and Accessories is a PUBC incorporated on 17th February, 2016. It is classified as an Indian non-government company and is registered at the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Delhi. Presently, the directors of the Council for Footwear, Leather and Accessories are Shri. Adesh Kumar Gupta, Shri. Inder Dev Singh Musafir and Shri. Raj Kumar Gupta.

Prior to the formulation of the 12th Plan, the government had engaged with industry representatives extensively to set up a body to exclusively address the issues and take up matters of interest of the domestic industry in order to formulate a viable growth plan. The formation of CFLA was the result of these relentless efforts.

Articles of Association (download PDF)