IITs to help Indian textile industry get back on track

20 Apr '20

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

The Indian textiles ministry has roped in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) to address both immediate and medium-term action plans for the industry in the post-COVID-19 situation for the textiles sector. Textiles minister Smriti Zubin Irani has formed five technological task forces led by various IITs for the entire textile value chain.

IIT Madras would lead the group on indigenous machine manufacturing and machine tools while the setting up of local labs and promoting local technology is to be coordinated by IIT Bombay.

Another task force will work on raw materials and waste product utilisation technology in IIT Delhi while boosting micro, small and medium enterprises in the textile sector and large data analytics for traditional sectors would be the responsibility of IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Kanpur would focus on reorienting technology for weavers and handicraft artisans. Another group of technical experts, led by IIT Kanpur, will conduct action plans covering various fibres for silk processing and industrial applications from waste silk material and IIT Kharagpur for jute diversification, jute cultivation productivity improvement, and industrial applications of jute including in geotextiles.

IIT Bhubaneswar will take up pilot studies for post COVID-19 handloom and handicraft reorientation, data integration of artisans and weavers and technological interventions in Odisha.

The taskforces were set up after Irani held discussions last week with the principal scientific adviser, scientists, technologists and academicians on technological and manufacturing interventions in post COVID-19 situations in the textiles sector, according to a report in The Economic Times.

For cotton cultivation productivity improvement and industrial and diversified applications of waste cotton, a group to be constituted by textiles secretary on the advice of Principal Scientific Adviser would be constituted.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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