Technical Textiles In Karnataka Get Boost With R&D Projects & Start-Up Support Under NTTM: MoS Margherita

Bengaluru, Feb 3 (KNN) Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday about the progress of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) in Karnataka.

The Minister said that the Mission aims to boost research, innovation, domestic machinery development, export promotion, and skill development in the technical textiles sector.

The NTTM was launched in 2020 with a total outlay of Rs 1,480 crore.

Research & Development Projects

Under the NTTM, 168 R&D projects have been approved nationwide, including three focused on indigenous machinery development. 

In Karnataka, notable projects include IISc Bengaluru’s Rs 0.5 crore project on designing Reinforced Earth (RE) retaining walls and abutments for high-speed rail and railway applications, NIT Karnataka’s Rs 0.325 crore project on pre-oriented carbon fibre grids for pozzolan-based low-energy power sources, and NAL (CSIR)’s Rs 77.90 crore project on developing intermediate modulus grade carbon fibre for various applications.

Start-up Support

The Mission has also supported Karnataka-based start-ups to promote innovation in high-performance and industrial textiles. 

Bangaluru-based Momentux Systems has received approval for a Rs 50 lakh Radome Integrated IFF Antenna project (GoI share Rs 45 lakh, start-up Rs 5 lakh) under high-performance textiles. 

Another firm Guerin Technologies was approved for a Rs 56.5 lakh project on a novel composite material-based space deployable communication antenna (GoI share Rs 50 lakh, start-up Rs 6.5 lakh) in industrial textiles.

Education and Skilling Initiatives

NTTM has approved 45 educational institutions for offering courses in technical textiles and developed 24 skilling courses, benefiting over 1,000 trainees. 

In Karnataka, the National Institute of Technology Karnataka has been approved with a project cost of Rs 6.193 crore. Additionally, 21 agencies have been empanelled to provide internships to undergraduate students, giving practical exposure in technical textiles.

(KNN Bureau)