National Symposium Explores Advancements in Composites, Specialty Fibres, and Chemicals

New Delhi: The Ministry of Textiles, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ahmedabad Textiles Industries’ Research Association (ATIRA), organized a National Symposium on Advancements in Composites, Specialty Fibres, and Chemicals in New Delhi today.

Addressing the symposium, Rachna Shah, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, highlighted the immense potential of India’s Technical Textiles market, citing its significant growth rate of 10% and its position as the 5th largest technical textiles market globally. Shah emphasized the diverse applications of composites in various sectors such as infrastructure development, aerospace, automotive, military and defense, and medical devices.

She stressed the importance of collaboration among stakeholders, including industry representatives, policymakers, researchers, and investors, to address cost implications and increase awareness for the wider adoption of technical textiles and products made from specialty fibres and composites.

Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog, underscored the strategic significance of specialty fibres in advanced composites, citing their tailored applications in diverse sectors such as fire retardant fabrics, bullet-resistant jackets, windmills, and gas filtration. He highlighted emerging trends in composite materials, including high-performance resins, carbon fibre-based materials, biomaterials, and nanocomposites.

Dr. Saraswat emphasized the importance of sustainable practices in the composites industry, highlighting the growing demand for bio-composites in construction, furniture, and medical applications. He also discussed future developments in composites, envisioning fibres with greater strength, stiffness, thermal properties, and even self-healing capabilities.

Shri Ajay Kumar Rana, Director General of RDSO, discussed the use of geotextiles and geo-composites in the railways sector, emphasizing their applications in load-bearing, slope erosion protection, drainage, and filtration. He highlighted RDSO’s efforts in developing guidelines and standards for the use of geo-composites in collaboration with BIS.

Shri Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles, emphasized the potential of the technical textiles industry to drive productivity, efficiency, and innovation. He outlined various initiatives under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) aimed at positioning India as a global leader in technical textiles.

Shri Nilesh M Desai, Director of the Space Applications Centre (SAC/ISRO), highlighted the growing significance of composites in the space and aerospace sector, citing their lightweight and durable properties.

The symposium witnessed the participation of around 150 officials, representatives from central ministries, user departments of central and state governments, industry leaders, scientific experts, researchers, and professionals in technical textiles.