Govt Approves Rs.13.65 Crore Grant for 31 Technical Textile Startups Under GREAT Scheme

New Delhi, Jul 22 (KNN) The Ministry of Textiles has approved 31 start-ups under the Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) scheme, with total project costs of Rs 15.40 crore, including Rs 13.65 crore as the Government of India's share.

The information was provided by Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The start-ups have been approved across Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Maharashtra has the highest number of approved start-up projects with seven, followed by Tamil Nadu with six, Delhi with five, Gujarat with four and Uttar Pradesh with three. Karnataka has two approved projects, while Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have one each.

The GREAT scheme, implemented under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), provides financial assistance of up to Rs 50 lakh to eligible start-ups for developing commercial technologies and products in the technical textiles sector.

The approved projects cover areas including smart textiles, advanced functional fabrics, energy-harvesting textiles, healthcare wearables, high-performance composites, sustainable materials, biodegradable products and medical textile technologies.

The Government has also supported educational institutions under the NTTM through the General Guidelines for Enabling Academic Institutes in Technical Textiles for private and public institutes. 

The initiative has approved projects across several States and Union Territories to strengthen technical textile education and research.

The NTTM also conducts workshops, exhibitions, seminars and outreach programmes to promote technical textiles and provide platforms for researchers and start-ups to showcase products and engage with industry stakeholders.

The GREAT scheme is open to eligible start-ups across the country, including those from Palnadu and Chhindwara districts. One proposal from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh has been approved under the scheme, while no proposal has been received from Palnadu district.

(KNN Bureau)