The 10th International Exhibition and Conference on Technical Textiles, ‘Technotex 2023’ was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai. Organised by Union Ministry of Textiles and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), the event, held between 22nd-24th February is a flagship event comprised of buyer-seller meets, an international exhibition and conference.
An e-book was launched at the event by the Union Minister on Technical Textiles titled ‘Technical Textiles Ecosystem in India: Market Overview, Inherent Linkages and Growth Opportunities’
The Union Minister said while addressing the people at the event, that the future of India’s textile industry is linked with the growth of the technical textile industry and India is poised to benefit from the growth of the global technical textile industry. This was an important time for the industry since domestic consumption and export are expected to grow rapidly, she added.
She pointed out that in terms of output and value, the Indian technical textiles industries are expanding quickly and a variety of industries benefit from its products which include automotive, agricultural, home care, construction, aerospace, protective gear, and healthcare. “The end use of technical textiles caters to a wide variety of industries, thereby making it a high-value sector in India” she said.
“We have shifted gear from low-value textile raw materials to high-value upstream industries such as readymade garments, industrial and technical textiles” she added.
“The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for textiles for Man Made Fibre Fabrics & Apparel, and Technical Textiles is expected to attract investment of Rs. 19,798 crores for manufacturing. The response of the industry has been very encouraging.” she further stated.
She also extolled the role of India’s G20 Presidency in strengthening our textile, apparel and merchandising industry. She added that the ‘PM Gati Shakti’ initiative which would bring together 16 ministries for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects, represents significant opportunities for extensive use of technical textiles.
She also mentioned the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). With an outlay of Rs 1,480 crore, the focus of the mission is to develop usage of technical textiles in various flagship missions and programmes of the country including strategic sectors, she said.
The Ministry of Textiles has recently notified Guidelines for Indigenous Development of Machineries and Equipment in Technical Textiles, to meet the diverse needs of the textile industry and to make our nation Aatma Nirbhar, she informed the gathered audience.
She further stated that for providing internships to B.Tech students in 2nd/3rd/4th Year of the relevant Departments/ Specialisations of eligible private/ public institutes, the empanelled companies will be provided a grant of up to Rs 20,000 per student per month, under the General Guidelines for Grant for Internship Support (GIST).
Textile industries with a turnover of more than Rs 10 crore, textile research associations under the Ministry, and textile machinery manufacturers will be eligible for this grant.
This move will support creation of industry-trained engineers and professionals, and highly skilled workmen both for manufacturing and application areas of technical textiles, while also fostering academia–industry linkages in the field of Technical Textiles.
The Minister said that Technotex-2023 represents a determined effort to turn India into a leading production centre for technical textiles.
Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Textiles, Rajeev Saxena, stated that the National Technical Textiles Mission has been launched to overcome the weaknesses faced by the sector. The scheme for Technical Textiles Startups is open for industry and research institutions and one component of the mission is on R&D. Through this mission, the Textile Ministry invites good proposals to make good technical textiles machinery in India.
Mohan Kavrie, Chairman & Mentor, FICCI Technotex SME Organizing Committee said that the industry will work with the Government to foster a sustainable and innovative ecosystem that supports the growth of this industry.
R D Udeshi, Member, National Executive Committee, FICCI said there is a great opportunity for the Indian industry to participate in the expected global growth of technical textiles and become a key supplier in the global market.
