In a progressive move towards advancing India's technical textiles sector, the Ministry of Textiles has given the green light to 18 research and development projects valued at Rs 46.74 crore. These projects span various areas within the field of technical textiles, as detailed in an official statement.

During the 7th Meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of the National Technical Textiles Mission in New Delhi Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal stated, “Industry and Institute’s pro-active and robust engagement is essential for the indigenous development of technical textiles in India.”

During the meeting, it was disclosed that among the 18 R&D projects, 14 fall under the category of high-value projects, 3 are Prototype Grant projects, and 1 is an Ideation Grant project. These projects span various application areas within the realm of technical textiles, including Geotech (1 project), Protech (2 projects), Indutech (2 projects), Sportech (2 projects), Sustainable Textiles (5 projects), Meditech (3 projects), Smart & E-Textiles (3 projects), and Geotextiles (1 project).

The leadership of these approved projects is attributed to esteemed institutes and research bodies such as BTRA, ATIRA, IIT Delhi, IIT Jammu, NIT Jalandhar, IIT Kharagpur, CSIR New Delhi, IIT Madras, among others.

Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal stressed the importance of prioritizing research and development efforts in areas related to technical textiles, especially those items that are highly imported on a global scale. He emphasized the need to reduce India's dependency on imported technical textile items and promote the development of specialty fibers within the country.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Textiles reported that progress in the field of education, training, and skill development was also reviewed during the meeting. The Union Minister approved 26 applications from 15 public and 11 private institutes, amounting to INR 151.02 Crores, for initiatives focused on introducing new educational modules, acquiring laboratory infrastructure, and providing training to educators across various application areas of technical textiles.

The meeting saw the participation of senior officials from various government bodies, including NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Department of Expenditure, the Department of Higher Education, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, as well as eminent members from the industry. It was a comprehensive gathering aimed at advancing India's capabilities in the field of technical textiles.

Image source: India Today