Global Benchmarking, Demand Assessment Critical For High-value Technical Textiles Products: Goyal

International benchmarking, deliberations with industry and demand assessment critical for high-value and high-volume technical textiles products in India, said Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday in New Delhi.

This is also necessary to catalyze research and innovation in technical textiles in India, he said while chairing the sixth mission steering group (MSG) meeting of the national technical textiles mission.

Notably, the Ministry of Textiles approved 20 research and development (R&D) project worth Rs 61.09 crore across key strategic areas of geotech, protech, indutech, sustainable textiles, sportech etc during the sixth MSG meeting.

Goyal said that it is necessary to identify the areas where high-strength lightweight technical textiles could be used as an alternative material in automobile, aviation, infrastructure and medical sectors for enhancing efficiency, advancement and sustainability.

The minister noted that a massive outreach exercise is the need of the hour to attract more R&D proposals in the priority areas under NTTM wherein the Ministry of Textiles, Science and Technology and Commerce and Industry may collaborate.

Goyal also said that private engineering colleges of good repute to be encouraged to work together with textile research associations (TRAs) or reputed government institutes for wider awareness, benefits and optimal utilisation of NTTM scheme and foster research and innovation ecosystem across India.