A summer school on "Technical textiles and functional clothing" started at the Punjab Agricultural University’s (PAU) Department of Clothing and Textiles.

The three week programme is being held under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), with participants from Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

Dr. Gursharan Singh, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, PAU, who inaugurated the programme, said capacity building of the faculty is of much importance to ensure impartation of quality education to the students.

Calling textiles as a sunrise industry, he said the industry has a huge potential that is still unexploited.

Giving an overview of the situation of technical textiles in India, VK Kohli, Assistant Textile Commissioner, Regional Office, Ministry of Textiles, Amritsar, who was the Guest of Honour at the programme, emphasized that small and medium scale enterprises can play a vital part in this emerging area, which has a great employment generation potential.

Dr. Neelam Grewal, Dean, College of Home Science, and the Course Director of the school, said the programme focuses on upgrading the knowledge and skills of the textiles and clothing faculty engaged in different State Agricultural Universities.

Experts from leading institutes and organizations like Technological Institute of Textile and Science, Bhivani; National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi; Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi; National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar and other local entrepreneurs have been invited to serve as faculty for the course, she informed.

Such intermingling of academicians and entrepreneurs would prove helpful in production of skilled workforce, with good knowledge of the field, she added.

The summer school would conclude on September 11.