National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM). The Textile Ministry has approved 20 key research projects in the fields of speciality fibres and geotextiles. The Flagship Programme ‘National Technical Textiles Mission’ funds these key research projects.
The Government of India launched this project to position India as a global leader in technical textiles.

National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM):

The Textile Ministry launched the National Technical Textile Mission to enhance the technical textile industry in India.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to NTTM. By 2024, it wants to increase the size of the domestic market from USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion.
The establishment of this mission was approved by the CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NTTM has been granted for 4 years (2020-21 to 2023-24) with a budget of Rs.1480 crores.
The Mission’s main goal is to improve the use of technical textiles in the country’s flagship missions and programs, particularly in strategic areas.
In the Textile Ministry, a Mission Directorate would be operational.
The President of India Mr. Nihar Ranjan Dash is the Coordinator for the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).
Agriculture, aquaculture, dairy, poultry, and other industries use technical textiles.

To appreciate the significance of establishing a mission for the promotion of technical textiles, it is necessary to first define technical textiles.

Technical textiles are a lovely and futuristic area of textiles that are utilized for a variety of applications ranging from roads, agriculture, railway tracks, health, and sportswear, to fireproof jackets, bulletproof jackets, and high altitude fighting gear, and so on.
Our country accounts for around 6% of the total global market size, which is valued at USD 250 billion. Technical textiles are basic textiles that are items and materials primarily designed for technical performance as well as functional features.
Depending on their application areas, technical textiles are grouped into 12 major groups (Agrotech, Buildtech, Clothtech, Geotech, Hometech, Indutech, Mobiltech, Meditech, Protech, Sportstech, Oekotech, Packtech).

The Goal of the National Technical Textiles Mission:

The primary goal of this mission is to establish India as the global leader in technical textiles. It also intends to increase the penetration of technical textiles in India.
To summarize, the mission is broken into four major components.
The Mission is focused on the use of textiles in numerous flagship missions and programs around the country. It should also be emphasized that the country’s penetration level is low, at 5-10%, compared to 30-70% in wealthy countries.
The government would also seek to expand the worldwide market for Indian technical textiles.

Four Major Components of the National Technical Textiles Mission:

1. Research, Development, and Innovation

It is worth Rs. 100 crores.
Fundamental fiber research must be carried out to generate game-changing goods.
There will be research into agro textiles, geotextiles, and other uses.

2. Market Development and Promotion

A growth rate of around 15-20% per year will be targeted to raise the level of the domestic market.
The method of doing market marketing, market development, and technology collaboration.
The market would grow to 40-50 billion USD.

3. Promotion of Exports

The current yearly value of exports is around Rs 14000 crore.
Through this component, the mission hopes to increase export value by Rs 20000 crore by 2021-22.

4. Education, training, and skill enhancement

To solve the rapidly developing technical textiles and challenges, engineering education must be promoted.
To satisfy the mission’s requirements, highly skilled workers will be developed.

The Indian Government intends to promote and develop Indian Technical Textiles in a variety of ways, which will have an impact on the country’s economy.

Schemes Related to National Technical Textiles Mission:

Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP): The scheme started in 2005 to encourage entrepreneurship by offering financial assistance and cutting-edge infrastructure and was recently extended for the period 2017-20.
Centers of Excellence From 2010 to 2015, the Ministry of Textiles launched the Technology Mission on Technical Textiles (TMTT) with two mini-missions, entailing the establishment of the eight Centers of Excellence listed below to provide infrastructure support, lead research, and conduct tests on various technical textiles.
Modified technology upgrade fund scheme: To boost exports and indirectly encourage investment in textile machinery.