Centre clears 15 R&D Projects such as specialty fibers, high-performance textiles
The Ministry of Textiles cleared 15 R&D projects worth around INR 32.25 crores across key strategic areas such as Speciality fibre, Protective textiles, High-Performance Textiles, Geotextiles, Medical Textiles, Sustainable Textiles, and Textiles for Building Materials during the 5th Mission Steering Group (MSG) meeting held under the chairmanship of Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Among these 15 R&D projects, 7 Projects of Speciality Fibres, 2 from protective Textiles, 2 from High-Performance Textiles, 1 from Geotextiles, 1 from Medical Textiles, 1 from Sustainable Textile, and 1 from Textiles for Building Materials were approved.
While addressing the 5th Mission Steering Group meeting, Shri Piyush Goyal said that leading textile manufacturers and institutes should come together to indigenously develop strategic and high-value technical textile products, with the support of the NTTM (National Technical Textile Mission).
A robust outreach exercise is required to attract R&D Proposals in Machinery and Equipment across major textile machinery manufacturing hubs in India. Interministerial collaboration is required to document and utilize existing and updated technologies for wider usage in the nation-building process, especially in the areas of sustainable technical textiles. Existing beneficiaries of NTTM such as Premier Institutes and Research bodies need to connect with other institutes for wider awareness, benefits and optimal utilization of the NTTM Scheme across India added Hon’ble Minister.
Encouraging young engineering minds to pursue technical textiles in India is the need of the hour. A broad guideline under the Start-up scheme was discussed and may be finalized on priority targeting aspiring innovators, entrepreneurs and young scientists.
Technical Textile Machinery and Equipment development has been a major challenge which needs collaborative interventions from the Government, Industry and Academia, including commercialization of the developed machines. The General Guidelines for indigenous development of machines and equipment in the application areas of technical textiles under NTTM is a strong-foot forward and needs to be utilized by the industry to its fullest, he further emphasised. The minister urged the premier public and private academic and engineering institutes and Industries to apply under the education and internship guidelines already launched under the National technical textiles mission on a priority basis.