The ministry of textiles has approved 11 research and development (R&D) projects with a combined value of approximately ₹103 crore. This move was announced following the 8th meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), chaired by textiles minister Piyush Goyal.

Minister Goyal emphasised the importance of joint efforts between the government and industry to boost indigenous development in this sector. The approved projects encompass a diverse range of technical textiles, including protech, meditech, mobiltech, buildtech, smart textiles, and sustainable textiles, the ministry of textiles said in a press release.

A key highlight among these projects is the development of high-strength carbon fibre for strategic applications, aimed at making India self-reliant in technical textiles. The initiative includes nine R&D projects, one machine development project, and one equipment development project.

The research projects will be led by prestigious institutes and research bodies such as CSIR-NAL, ATIRA, NITRA, IIT Delhi, ICT- Mumbai, NIT-Jalandhar, and Colorjet India Ltd, among others.

During the meeting, Goyal reviewed various aspects of the NTTM, including the progress of sanctioned R&D products, the status of applications under the guidelines for academic institutes in technical textiles education, implementation of quality control orders by the ministry of textiles, patent guidelines, outreach activities, and events under NTTM.

The minister of state for textiles, Darshana Jardosh, along with senior officials from various ministries including commerce and industry, road transport and highways, heavy industries, railways, jal shakti, as well as representatives from the Department of Expenditure, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Science & Technology, Higher Education, and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, attended the meeting. Eminent industry members were also present, highlighting the collaborative nature of this ambitious endeavour.