The National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) launched in 2020, to boost technical textiles in India, has completed 5 years of successful implementation. The key focus areas of the mission are: research, market growth, exports, and skill development.
- It aims to promote innovation, startups, and use in agriculture, infrastructure and healthcare.
- The Mission Directorate was formed with a Mission Director, Ashoka Malhotra, for the implementation, co-ordination and monitoring activities under the NTTM.
About NTTM:
i.In February 2020, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had approved the NTTM with an outlay of Rs 1,480 crores for a period from 2020-21 to 2025-26.
ii.The mission aims to position India a global leader in the Technical Textiles sector. A total of 168 research projects worth Rs 509 crore have been approved under NTTM.
iii.The mission is being implemented through a 3-tier institutional mechanism which includes: the Mission Steering Group, the Empowered Programme Committee (EPC), and the Committee on Technical Textiles on Research, Development & Innovation.
iv.Total 12 product categories have been classified under NTTM such as: agrotech, buildtech, geotech, mobiltech, sportstech, protech, clothtech, meditech, hometech, indutech, packtech and Oekotech.
4 Key Components of NTTM:
i.Component-I (Research, Innovation, and Development): This component supports Research & Development (R&D) in technical textiles. It invites proposals to develop new materials and processes.
ii.Component-II (Promotion and Market Development): This component aims to encourage the adoption of technical textiles in India through market promotion and international collaborations.
iii.Component-III (Export Promotion): It focuses on accelerating exports of technical textiles with a dedicated export council outlay.
iv.Component-IV (Education Training, and Skill development): It promotes technical textiles education, skill training, and internships in premier institutes and industries.
Financial Allocation:
i.Since its inception in 2020, the Government of India (GoI) has allocated Rs 517 crore for NTTM.
ii.Till date, Rs 393.39 crore has been used for various activities: research, innovation, market development, export promotion and skill development in technical textiles.
iii.Key allocation to 4 components of NTTM: Research, Innovation, and Development (Rs 1,000 crore),Promotion and Market Development (Rs 50 crore), Export Promotion(Rs 10 crore), and Education Training, and Skill development (Rs 400 crore).
Key Progress under NTTM:
i.Research Areas Supported: The mission has supported key research areas such as: carbon fiber, aramid fiber, nylon fiber, geotextiles, agro-textiles, medical textiles, among others.
ii.Quality Control Orders (QCQs): Under this mission, 68 QCQs have been issued cross various segments i.e. geo-tech (20), protective textiles (12), agro-textiles (20), medical textiles (6), ropes & cordages(9), and indutech textiles (1).
iii.Export Promotion: The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC) (now MATEXIL) assigned for the promoting technical textiles exports.
iv.BIS Standards: More than 600 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards have been developed for technical textiles (including over 200), since the launch of NTTM.
v.Academic Support: GoI has approved 38 proposals worth Rs 191 crore for lab upgrades and faculty training in technical textiles.
Key Initiatives Launched under NTTM:
i.Grant for Internship Support Technical Textiles (GIST 2.0): This initiative was launched under NTTM, which aims to fix the gap between industry and academia by facilitating hands-on learning opportunities in technical textiles.
- It promotes local innovation, supports the Make in India initiative and helps empower young talent to drive growth in the textile sector.
ii.Grant for Research & Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) Scheme: The program was launched in August 2023, provides financial support to help translate prototypes into technologies and products for commercialization.
- Under this program, so far, 8 startups were granted Rs 50 lakh each for innovations in medical, industrial and protective textiles.
- Also, 3 educational institutes which includes Indore (Madhya Pradesh, MP)-based Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Indore), and National Institute of Technology (NIT) Patna, based in Bihar, received Rs 6.5 crore to introduce specialized courses in geotextiles, geosynthetics, and sports textiles.
iii.Skill Development Programs: NTTM aims to equip 50,000 individuals, including undergraduate students, unskilled workers, and professionals, in technical textiles.
- The initiative offers targeted skill development through 12 industry-focused courses developed by organizations like: SITRA (South India Textiles Research Association), NITRA (Northern India Textile Research Association), and SASMIRA(Synthetic & Art Silk Mills Research Association) in various segments such as: medical, protective, mobile, among others.
iv.Technotex 2024: It was organised as part of Bharat Tex 2024, demonstrated the strength of India’s technical textiles sector. It provided a platform to explore global investment opportunities.
- The key highlight of the event was the Innovation Zone under NTTM, which was spanned 693 square meters (sq. m).
- It featured 71 cutting-edge projects, with 48 presented as prototypes and 23 through informative posters.
Significance of India’s Textile Industry:
i.India is the world’s 6th largest exporter of textiles, with a 3.9% share in global textile exports.
ii.The textile industry contributes approximately 2% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for 10% of Industrial Production.
iii.The textile sector is expected to grow to USD 350 billion by 2030 further strengthening India’s position in the international market. Also, this growth is estimated to generate 3.5 crore jobs.
About Ministry of Textiles (MoT):
Union Minister- Giriraj Singh (Constituency- Begusarai, Bihar)
Union Minister of State (MoS)- Pabitra Margherita (Rajya Sabha member- Assam)
