The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), with the support of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), successfully organized a one-day Conference on Technical Textiles on 25th July 2025 at CICU Complex, Focal Point, Ludhiana (Punjab) and was very well received.
The impactful conference witnessed active participation from sector multi-stakeholders, policymakers, innovators, academia and entrepreneurs. Themed around “Market Growth, Challenges, Opportunities & Way Forward/ future statement,” the event focused on nurturing industry dialogue/deliberations and collaboration across the entire technical textiles value chain.
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Chief Guest, Ajay Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India (GoI), along with other dignitaries opened the conference with the ceremonial lamp lighting, marking an auspicious beginning to the day’s proceedings. He featured the keynote address in the Inaugural Session, highlighting policy initiatives, national goals under NTTM and emphasized the strategic importance of positioning Ludhiana (Punjab) as a hub for technical textiles.
Ashok Malhotra, Mission Director, National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), Ministry of Textiles, GoI (MoT) shared the perspective on Technical Textiles during themed address. He mentioned at length about the scheme of startups in Technical Textiles, establishment of focus incubation centres etc. He said that NTTM launched in FY21 with an outlay of Rs. 1480 Crore. He said that NTTM has progressed in R&D and 168 projects sanctioned with grant of INR 519 cr, 10 projects nearing completion and 31 patents applied under NTTM, and 20 startups approved with a grant of INR 10.34 Cr., and 16 skill development courses developed by 6 empanelled agencies approved and 500 people trained thus far.
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Rahul Chaba, Additional CEO, Invest Punjab, highlighted Punjab’s strong positioning as a textile hub, backed by an integrated value chain, skilled/semi skilled workforce, competitive power tariffs, and world-class infrastructure. He emphasized the state’s progressive industrial policies and “Fast Track Punjab” single-window portal, which offers time-bound, transparent, and investor-friendly clearances. Chaba also shared key/luring investment incentives and the government’s focused vision to attract meaningful investments in the technical textile sector, reaffirming Ludhiana’s role in India’s textile growth story.
Sunil Kumar Puri, emphasized the transformative potential of flat-bed knitting machines in the technical textiles domain. He highlighted their versatility in producing 2D and 3D structures demonstrating innovation at scale, their application in medical, automotive, and protective gear, and the ability to integrate smart functionalities like cutting-edge embedded sensors and conductive yarns.
He also underpinned the role of such technologies in enabling sustainable, waste-minimizing production and driving innovation in composite materials for advanced engineering applications.
Debabrata Ghosh, VP, Oerlikon Textile India showcased the company’s commitment to innovation across hi-demand industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, tooling, and textiles. He emphasized how Oerlikon continuously develops cutting-edge materials, advanced surface technologies, and next-generation textile manufacturing solutions to empower customers in creating superior products.
Besides, he also outlined the diverse applications of Oerlikon Nonwoven, reinforcing the company's pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable and high-performance textiles.
Akhil Seth, highlighted India's strong potential in segments like Packtech, Meditech, and Geotech, driven by favourable policies and growing global demand. He emphasized the need for regional Centres of Excellence in Ludhiana and greater industry-academia collaboration to boost innovation and exports across value chain.
Rajiv Sajdeh focused on the use of natural fibres, especially wool, in technical textiles, emphasizing its flame resistance, moisture regulation, and sustainability. He presented wool as a high-potential yet underutilized raw material suitable for protective wear, fire-resistant clothing, and smart textiles/performance. Highlighting bottlenecks like QCO restrictions and high testing costs, as a policy advocacy he urged for policy revisions, better certification access, and recognition of recycled technical textiles. He proposed the idea of a “TechTex Green Compliant” certification to NTTM for responsible recyclers to encourage circularity/eco-consciousness and reduce reliance on international standards.
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The conference also featured broad-based presentations and discussions on key industry issues from Shingora Textiles, and representatives from the Ministry of MSME and Textile Commissioner’s Office.
Panelists well addressed BIS standards, SIDBI steadfast support for MSMEs, circular economy models/sustainable practices, and green certifications. Notable addresses were delivered by BIS, SIDBI, Versatile Enterprises, and Nirmal Sagar Enterprises. Discussions also revolved around developing a future-ready talent pipeline for the sector. Eminent speakers included Dr. M. S. Parmar, DG, NITRA; Dr. Swapna Mishra, CEO, Textile Sector Skill Council, Somjit Amrit, CEO, IIT Mandi iHub (innovation centre), and Naresh Kumar, HOD, The Government Institute of Textile Chemistry & Knitting Technology.
The Knitwear Club Association & CICU were the supported partners for the conference to make it a success.
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Rakesh Kumar Sangrai, Director, PHDCCI moderated the Inaugural & technical Sessions during the conference. Well over 150 delegates participated in the conference that includes large textile companies/corporates, industry captains and MSMEs as well, besides consultants, service providers R&D institutions/researchers, testing & certification organizations, academia as well.
The Conference ENDED ON A HIGH NOTE with a strong industry-government consensus to solidify Ludhiana’s position (Punjab) in India’s technical textile broad ecosystem, focusing on sustainability, innovation, and skill development.
By harnessing cross-sectoral collaboration/ purposeful partnerships, the event reiterated India’s commitment to building a resilient and globally competitive technical textiles industry aligned with the Government’s NTTM future vision and roadmap.
So net net it had all the ingredients of success.
CREDITS: The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) PRESS RELEASE.
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