Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry and educational institutions for the advancement of technical textiles in India. He made this point during the 7th Meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of the National Technical Textiles Mission held in New Delhi.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Textiles approved 18 research and development (R&D) projects valued at Rs 46.74 crore in various critical areas, including Geotech, Protech, Indutech, Sustainable Textiles, Sportech, Smart E-Textiles, and Meditech.
Out of these projects, 14 are considered high-value projects, while 3 are Prototype Grant projects, and 1 is an Ideation Grant project. These projects cover a wide range of technical textile applications, such as geotech, protech, indutech, sportech, sustainable textiles, meditech, smart & e-textiles, and geotextiles. Several esteemed institutes and research bodies, including BTRA, ATIRA, IIT Delhi, IIT Jammu, NIT Jalandhar, IIT Kharagpur, CSIR New Delhi, and IIT Madras, are leading these approved projects.
The Union Minister also reviewed the progress of various aspects of the National Technical Textiles Mission, including the status of sanctioned R&D projects, those in Mission mode, the formation of a committee for startups in technical textiles following the GREAT Guidelines, and upcoming events like the 6th Edition of MOT-FICCI-BIS National conclave on Standards & Regulations and Meditex conference in July and September 2023.
The minister emphasized the need for research and development in globally sought-after technical textile items, as well as reducing India’s dependency on imported technical textiles and specialty fibres.
Furthermore, the Union Minister assessed developments in education, training, and skill development. A total of 26 applications from 15 public and 11 private institutes, totaling Rs 151.02 crore, were approved. This funding will be used for introducing relevant coursework, procuring necessary laboratory equipment, and training instructors in various areas of technical textiles.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from 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, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, along with industry experts and eminent members from various sectors.
