Rs 200 cr mission for technical textiles soon

The government is set to launch Rs 200 crore mission for promotion of technical textiles, while the Finance Ministry has cleared setting up of four new research centres for the industry, which include products like mosquito and fishing nets, shoe laces and medical gloves.

The Technology Mission would unleash investments in the technical industry, Textiles Secretary Rita Menon said at a Ficci event here.

She said the mission would address the problems faced by the industry in terms of lack of basic infrastructure, technology, skilled manpower, R&D support, training facilities and laying down of regulations.

The Finance Ministry has already cleared an investment of about Rs 95 crore for setting up four new 'centres of excellence' for the technical textiles.

"The Technology Mission on Technical Textile has received approval from Ministry of Textiles...The Expenditure Finance Committee (in the Finance Ministry) has cleared the way to open four new centres of excellence (CoEs)," Menon said

Along with the existing CoEs, the total number of such centres will go up to eight.

These centres are designed to focus on development of technical textiles used in medical, safety and protective gears and agri products, she said.

Global technical industry is estimated at $127 billion and its size in India is pegged at $11 billion, according to a joint study of the Ministry of Textiles and the Ficci.

The industry is characterised by the presence of multi-nationals like Ahlstrom, Johnson and Johnson, Du Pont, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Kimberly Clark and SKAPs. Most of these firms have their manufacturing plants in India.

The domestic companies active in the industry include SRF, Garware Wall Ropes, Entury Enka, Techfab India and Vardhman.