The Ministry of Textiles organized an international conference-cum-exhibition titled “Viksit Bharat- Technical Textiles for Sustainable Growth & Development” on September 6 and 7, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA), at New Delhi, India, as part of its 100-day program. The National Technical Textiles Mission is the ministry’s flagship initiative.
Shri Giriraj Singh, the Union Minister of Textiles, gave the event its start. Additionally present at the inaugural session were Dr. S. Somanath, Secretary of the Department of Space, Chairman of ISRO, and Minister of State for Textiles, Shri Pabitra Margherita, as well as Secretary Rachna Shah of the Ministry of Textiles. The Minister stressed the growing significance of technological textiles and man-made fibers in all spheres of life at the conference’s opening remarks, both at home and abroad.
Six panel talks covering employment, innovation, social effect, quality and standards, and the future orientation of the technical textile sector were part of the two-day event. On Day 1 of the event, there was also a CEO roundtable discussion led by the Union Minister of Textiles. Government officials, business executives, representatives of research groups, and startup founders all made notable appearances during the event.
The Minister said that the government has launched the National Technical Textiles Mission and implemented the PLI Scheme for MMF Fabric, Apparel, and Technical Textiles, among other initiatives, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the growth of India’s technical textiles industry.
The Minister outlined the major steps done in support of the NTTM objective, pointing out that 156 research projects, including the creation of specialty fibers like carbon fiber, had been approved. In line with the mission, six guidelines have been introduced: they support and financially aid the renovation of laboratory facilities in prestigious educational institutions; they foster the development of skills through industry and academia collaboration; they offer internships to students to help bridge the gap between academia and industry; they assist government research bodies and institutions in conducting research and development in the sector; they facilitate the production and assembly of machinery in the country to upgrade technology in the sector; and they facilitate the commercialization of new ideas and technologies in the sector by establishing a startup ecosystem.
During the conference, eleven start-ups under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) were introduced. The major strategic areas of composites, sustainable textiles, medical textiles, and smart textiles are the focus of the authorized Start-Up initiatives. Under the NTTM’s “Grant for Research & Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)” project, each of these start-ups is receiving a grant of about INR 50 lakhs.
In August 2023, the GREAT program was introduced with the objective of fostering the growth of India’s Startup Ecosystem in technical textiles. The guidelines’ main goal is to assist people and businesses in converting prototypes into technologies and finished goods, including commercialization.