The 61st JTC – Joint Textile Conference,
Hosted and organised by the Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA), took place on the 14th and 15th of December, 2023. This conference was held in collaboration with the Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), the Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), and the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) at the BTRA Complex.
At the inaugural event, Dr. T. V. Sreekumar, BTRA Director, extended a warm welcome to the Chief Guest, Shri Manoj Singh Gaur, IIT Jammu Director. Joined by esteemed guests Smt. Roop Rashi, Textile Commissioner, Shri Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, Shri R. D. Udeshi, President of Polyester Chain at Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. Narendra M. Dalmia, CEO/Director of Strata Geosystems (India) Pvt. Ltd., Dr. Sharad Saraf, Chairman of BTRA’s Governing Council, Mr. Pragnesh Shah, ATIRA Director, Dr. Prakash Vasudevan, SITRA Director, and Dr. Arindam Basu, Director General of NITRA, Ghaziabad, they were all honoured through the presentation of floral bouquets and mementoes. Dr. T. V. Sreekumar, in his address, emphasised the event’s significance as a means of disseminating the latest developments by four TRAs to the industry. On the first day, December 14, 2023, the conference commenced with the Chief Guest, Shri Manoj Singh Gaur, IIT Jammu Director, lighting the ceremonial lamp alongside other dignitaries present on stage.
 Smt. Roop Rashi, Textile Commissioner Addressing the Audience |  The Dignitaries on the Dais Present on the Occasion |
Mr. Narendra Dalmia, Deputy Chairman of the Governing Council at BTRA, emphasised how the TRAs have become leading institutions in the field of technical textiles and urged the industry to collaborate with them and contribute to the industry’s growth.
Afterwards, in his opening speech, Dr. Sharad Sharad, Chairman of the Governing Council at BTRA, briefed the audience on the comprehensive research and development initiatives carried out by the four TRAs.
Shri Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, emphasised the significant collaboration between TRAs and industry in conducting research and development for new technological projects. TRAs, being more industry-controlled compared to IITs, play a crucial role in this regard. He urged TRAs to prioritise industry-oriented research and development in designing and developing machines, as well as creating feasible technical textile products. Additionally, he shared with the audience that the extension of NTTM has been granted until March 2026.
Smt. Roop Rashi, the Textile Commissioner, highlighted India’s Government effort to support industry and TRAs amid market challenges, supply chain concerns, and ecosystem issues. During her speech, she encouraged the industry to provide suggestions for tackling obstructions faced in the textiles value chain, emphasising the importance of such conferences. Additionally, she outlined the policy initiatives and developmental projects implemented by the Indian government to foster the growth of the textile trade and industry, particularly in technical textiles.
In his Keynote address, Shri R. D. Udeshi, President of Polyester Chain at Reliance Industries Limited, highlighted the significant contributions made by the Indian Government, industry, and TRAs during the coronavirus pandemic. He emphasised the fruitful outcome attained by India in emerging as a leading power in the technical textiles domain. Udeshi underlined the potential of the industry, coupled with TRAs’ assistance, to achieve self-sufficiency in all textile sectors, particularly in defence applications. Additionally, he stressed the importance of continually updating testing facilities at all TRAs to keep up with ever-evolving technological advancements and the supportive role the industry can play in this endeavour.
| During his speech, Shri Manoj Singh Gaur, the Director of IIT Jammu, stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between IITs and TRAs, highlighting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IIT Jammu and BTRA. Concluding the inaugural function, Dr. Arindam Basu, NITRA’s Director General, expressed gratitude. Subsequently, the Chief Guest and other esteemed individuals inaugurated the Carbon Fiber Precursor state-of-the-art Line, an exceptional facility in India. This installation, located in BTRA’s High-Performance Fiber Lab, boasts a capacity of 4000 filaments and is unparalleled in the nation. Additionally, all attendees visited the Exhibitor’s Stalls and engaged in conversations with the exhibitors. Over two days, an array of sessions centred on diverse topics took place. |  Chief Guest Shri Manoj Singh Gaur, Inaugurating Carbon Fiber Precursor Line |
Technical Session I – on First Day (14-02-2023)
Topic: GEOSYNTHETICS
Session Chairman: Mr. Nilanjan Sarkar, CTO, Tikitar & Shell India (P) Ltd.
Mr. Lekhaz Devulapalli, BTRA – The Development of Treated Geosynthetics Reinforced Asphalt and Concrete Pavements.
Mr. Shashikant Patil, Chintan Chavd & Deepali Plawat, ATIRA – Significance of European Standard EN45545-2 in Indian Mass Transports.
Session II:
A Panel Discussion on “Implementing QCO and Regulatory Requirements for Geosynthetics and Its Industry Impact” took place, led by Dr. Anup Rakshit, Executive Director of the Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA). The discussion featured the following panellists:
Panelists:
Mr. Bidur Kant Jha, Director, Ministry of Road Transport & Highway, Govt. of India
Mr. Himanshu Shukla, Scientist-B, Assistant Director, BIS
Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni GM; Business Development, Techfab (India)
Mr. Vijay Ramkrishna, Sr. Vice President, Garware Wall Ropes
The panellists shared their thoughts related to following topics
- Awareness on IS Specs. of Geosynthetics, QCO Concepts, and Guidance on Getting Product Certification
- Availability of Specialty Fibers and Yarns in Domestic Markets and Imports for Producing Geosynthetics
- Sharing Experience on Getting Certification on Geosynthetics Products.
Session III: TECHNICAL TEXTILES
Session Chairman – Mr. Narendra Dalmia, Director, Strata Geosynthetics, Mumbai
Ms. Nidhi Sisodia, Mr. A. K. Pandy, & Dr. Arindam Basu, NITRA
- Development of Mulch Mat and Crop Cover Fabrics using Bio-degradable Natural Material: Sunnhemp & Banana Fibers
Dr. Arindam Basu, & Ms. Archana Gangwar, NITRA
- Enhancing Impact Protection in Sports: Optimization of Shear ‘Thickening Fluid Application on 3D Knitted Fabrics
Dr. M. S. Parmar, Ms. Nidhi Sisodia, Mr. Swami Sharan, NITRA
- Development of Aluminized Outer Layer of Specialized Firefighter Suit
Technical Session IV on Second Day (15-12-2023)
Topics: CHEMICAL PROCESSING
Session Chairman – Mr. Anjali Prasad, Vice President, South Asia, Textile effect and Management, Archroma
Mr. Prasanta K. Panda, Komal Kukreja, & Amol Thite, BTRA
- Standard Procedure to Identify Dope Dyed and Exhaust Dyed Polyester Fiber
Dr. N. Sudhapriya & Mr. S. Sivakumar, SITRA
Antioxidant Cosmetotextiles – Durable Nano – Encapsulated Vitamin E Finishes on Textile Fabrics and its Controlled Release Study
Mr. Murtuza Z. Channiwala, Mr. Pankaj Gandhi, & Bhavdeep Shah, MANTRA
- Promotion of Energy Conservation Techniques in Textile Processing Industry: A Case Study of South Gujarat
Ms. Afreen Begum & Dr. Padma S. Vankar, BTRA
- Printing with Natural Dye Lakes Made from RE Salts
Technical Session V
Topics: SPINNING
Session Chairman – Mr. Gurudas Aras, India Advisor, ITA, Germany and Independent Director (Rossari Biotech Group of companies)
Mr. N. K. Nagarajan, SITRA
- Study on Lint Content in Blow Room Lines
Mr. V. Vijayajothi & Mr. N. K. Nagarajan, SITRA
- Effect of Short Fiber Content (SFC) in Raw Material on Lint Shedding Propensity of Conventional and Compact Yarns
Dr. V. Thanabal, SITRA
- A Comparative on the Quality of Airjet and Ring Soun Yarn Made from Cotton
Dr. Amalorpava Mary, SITRA
- Design and Development of Facile High Throughput Needle Less Electro-spinning Set Up
Technical Session VI
Topics: EMERGING AREAS
Session Chairman – Dr. R. R. Deshmukh, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai
Ms. Shreyasi Nandy, Mr. T. V. Sreekumar, Ms. Shital Palaskar & Dr. Neha Mehra, BTRA
- Plasma Assisted Incorporation of Flame Retardant Chemicals for Improved Flame Retardancy of Polyester Fabrics
Mr. Partha Bairi, Mr. Ankush Sharma & Mr. Tanmoy Gangopadhyay, ATIRA
- Effect of Nanocarbons on the Carbon Fibers – Reinforced Polymer Composite’s Properties
Ms. Shital Palaskar, BTRA
- Durable Antistatic Finishing of Polypropylene using Nano Graphene and Plasma Technology
Technical Session VII
Topics: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Session Chairman – Mr. Ullas Nimkar, Chairman, NimkarTech Technical Services
Ms. Neha Kapil, Dr. Arindam Basu, Ms. Priti Kaur Sachdeva & Mahesh Dutta, NITRA
- Development of Natural Fibre Composite for Automotive having Acoustic Properties
Dr. M. S. Parmar, Ms. Shweta Saxena, Mr. Swami Sharan & Mr. Mahadeb Dutta, NITRA
- Study on the Development of Molten Metal Splash – Resistant Jute-Cotton Union Fabrics
Mr. Ankush Sharma, Mr. Partha Bairi, Bhabatosh Biswas & Mr. Tanmoy Gangopadhyay, ATiRA
- Development of Natural Fibre Based Composite Material for Prosthetic Leg Socket
Mr. Amol Thite, BTRA
- A Comprehensive Root Cause analysis of Defects in Textile Materials
Technical Session VIII
Topics: NANO FIBRES AND NANO MATERIALS
Session Chairman – Dr. Neha Mehra, Hod, Textile Department, VJTI, Mumbai
Dr. Chetan R. Mahajan, & Ms. Deepali Plawat, ATIRA
- Free Surface Electro-spun Collagen Nanofibres as Cosmetotextiles
Ms. Smita Deogaonkar Baride, Ms. Padma S. Vankar & Tanushree V. Tandel, BTRA
- Characterization and Antimicrobial Application of Cu and Ag Nanoparticles Coated Fabric
Mr. Murtuza Z. Channiwala, Mr. Paankaj Gandhi & Mr. Bharat Patel, MANTRA
- Biosynthesis, Characterization and Efficiency against Bacteria of Silver and Copper Nano Particles by Nucleation Technique
Mr. Nishant Chandel & Mr. Ankush C. Kanse, BTRA
- Investigation of the Effect of Solvent and Parameters on the Dispersion of Graphene: A Study through MATLAB Simulation