Ludhiana Hosiery Knitwear Cooperative Industry

Ludhiana is India's largest hosiery and knitwear manufacturing centre, producing an estimated 60 percent of India's woollen knitwear and 90 percent of the country's acrylic sweater output. Over 5,000 small and medium units in Ludhiana's Gandhi Nagar, Focal Point, and Haibowal estates run circular and flat-bed knitting machines producing sweaters, vests, socks, and thermals for domestic and export markets. The cluster traces its origins to Partition-era refugee entrepreneurs from West Punjab who brought hosiery skills and rebuilt the industry from scratch, creating Ludhiana's identity as Manchester of the East.