Lok Sabha Question No. 1148 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Technical Textile Imports
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Sumedhanand Saraswati, Sunil Kumar Singh, Jayant Sinha, Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangre

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1148 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.09.2020

## TECHNICAL TEXTILE IMPORTS

## 1148.   SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI: SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH: SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE: SHRI JAYANT SINHA:

## Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री

be pleased to state :

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  devised  any  policy/  scheme  to  boost  technical  textile  sector  in  the country,  State/UT-wise  including  Jharkhand  and  Maharashtra  along  with  the  details  of  various achievements made in the Sector under such policy/scheme;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the present quantum of imports of technical textile;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  schemes/programmes  to  promote  the  domestic manufacturing of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) kits and masks in the country, especially for Self Help Groups (SHGs), if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(d)  the  details  of  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  domestic  manufacture  of technical  and  medical  apparel/textile  including  rainwear,  sportswear,  PPE  Kits  and  fire  resistant garments in order to cut down technical textile imports?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र मंत्री ( श्रीमती स्मृतत ज़ूबिन इरानी )

## MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b): Yes, Sir. With a view to boost technical textiles sector in the country, the Government has approved the proposal for creation of National Technical Textiles Mission(NTTM) for a period of 4 years (2020-21 to 2023-24) with an outlay of Rs.1480 crores.  The NTTM will (i) focus on research and innovation and indigenous development of specialty fibres from Carbon, Nylon-66, Glass, Aramid and  other  high  technology  polymers;  increase  application  of  geo-textiles,  agro-textiles,  medical textiles,  protective  textiles  and  other  segments  of  technical  textiles  in  various  application  areas  (ii) promote awareness amongst users, bring in large scale investments, and encourage high-end technical textiles products (iii) enhance India's exports of technical textiles by 2024 through focused attention on highest  traded products (iv) create a robust human resources in the country, both through specialized higher education and skill development of technical manpower of the country.

Besides,  in  order  to  boost  a  rapid  growth  of  the  technical  textile  segment  in  the  country,  the government has also taken following major initiatives:-

- (i) 207 technical textiles items have been brought under separate head in the Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) code under the Foreign Trade Policy.
- (ii) With  a  view  to  derive  the  benefits  of  technical  textiles  in  various  fields  of  applications, currently Ninety Two (92) application areas have been identified for mandatory use across Ten Central  Ministries/Departments.  So  far,  mandatory  use  notifications  have  been  issued  for  68 (sixty eight) applications.
- (iii) Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed standards for 377 technical textiles products.
- (iv) On request from the Industry, Ministry of Textiles has included Six (6) additional courses for technical textiles in its Skill Development Programme (called Samarth).
- (v) IIT Delhi is conducting fresh baseline survey on technical textiles sector.
- (vi) The  Ministry  has  issued  Public  Procurement  (Preference  to  Make  in  India)  Order  dated 23.10.2019, prescribing  Minimum Local Purchase Content for Technical textiles items in 10 segments for government procurement.

The  schemes  of  the  Government  shall  be  implemented  on  pan  India  basis  including  the  states  of Jharkhand and Maharashtra.   The average import of technical textiles items in the country over past three years is nearly Rs.13950 crores per year.

(c) & (d): From zero manufacturers in March 2020, 1100 indigenous manufacturers of PPE kits have been developed by the Government till date, most of them being from MSME sector. The capacity and production of PPE Coveralls for COVID-19 touched a peak of 5 lakh per day in mid May 2020.    As on  13.9.2020,  a  total  of  1.42  crore  PPE  kits  have  been  supplied  to  M/s  HLL  Lifecare  Ltd.  -  the procurement arm of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) for use of health professionals in government  hospitals.  Similarly,  domestic  manufacturers  of  N-95  masks  were  encouraged  during lockdown period and as a result, as on 13.9.2020, a total of 2.46 crores N-95 masks have been supplied to  M/s  HLL  Lifecare  Ltd.  Apart  from  this,  initiatives  taken  under  NTTM  are  intended  to  boost  the entire domestic technical textiles industry.

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