Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has now become a topic of national discussion. In his latest address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s recently developed strength in the production of PPE.
Just a day before, the official Twitter handle of Ministry of Textiles (MOT) posted, “Faces behind India’s PPE Story. We also thank our nodal officers across the country for stepping up to the challenge & ensuring seamless coordination.”The tweet was supported by an image of 18 people of MOT, right from the secretary to a couple of caretakers.
It must be highlighted here that MOT has tweeted after a long gap of 1 year and 3 months, which clearly points towards the significance of the matter.
The support has not only been apparent at the Central level, but various State bodies too have been strongly expressing their views on the same. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, also tweeted how he found it totally commendable on the part of tribal women from Banswara and Dungarpur districts, who have been sewing PPE kits for corona frontline workers. He went on to applaud these ladies who came together to produce 3,000 PPE kits every day even during the crucial period of lockdown.
Greatly appreciate the efforts of tribal women from #Banswara & #Dungarpur districts, who have been sewing personal protection equipment kits for #corona frontline workers. They worked even during lockdown producing 3000 kits every day. Their contribution is highly commendable. pic.twitter.com/qG86vizBYf
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) May 13, 2020
Also joining various Government organisations are various stakeholders of the apparel industry who are also actively sharing knowledge on PPE through webinars. Apparel Resources too have joined the wagon and has planned a seminar on the same, scheduled for 16 May. Few industry experts will be part of this webinar, answering various questions regarding PPE – be it manufacturing, approval, technology and raw material sourcing, etc.
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) too has organised a webinar regarding PPE on 15 May. This will include senior officials of Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Health as the panellists.
At the same time, few media reports claimed that there were some quality issues with regard to PPE. It must also be highlighted here that few manufacturers shared that big manufacturers were joining hands with each other in order to stop new PPE suppliers from entering this manufacturing segment.
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One must appreciate that there are more than 500 factories in India who are producing or authorised to manufacture PPE. As per the website of DRDO, 189 factories (around 150 companies) have got the certificate to produce body coveralls across India. SITRA’s website has details of more than 300 similar factories.
An interesting fact is that Ambala (a district in Haryana) has six such factories that are producing PPE kits, despite Ambala not being known for apparel or textile industry. Along with many top-level export houses and in organised industrial areas, PPE kits are being produced in areas like Gandhi Nagar, Delhi. A place like Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu is also producing PPE.
Though the export of PPE and masks is currently banned, the industry is hopeful that once the domestic needs get fulfilled, the export for the same will be allowed. And it will add another growth area for Indian PPE manufacturers, as the majority of them are already into apparel export business. We must underline here that recently, Delhi Customs seized 5.08 lakh masks and 952 PPE kits, which were being smuggled to China. Also, around 2,480 kg of raw materials for masks were intercepted by Air Cargo Export, Delhi Customs.
R&D is continued and bringing good results
The cost of PPE is still an issue for many, as it is an everyday essential for them. Not only doctor and nurses in hospitals are using PPE, but it has become an indispensable part of various other businesses also like saloons and barber shops. Considering this cost factor, the Indian Navy has designed and produced a low cost PPE and has also received a patent for the same. It will help the mass production of PPE at low cost. A doctor created this under Innovation Cell at the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM), Mumbai, and a pilot batch of PPE had been produced at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
All the aforementioned developments underline that India is on the right path in terms of PPE production as well as its R&D. Government bodies are actively involved, industry and other stakeholders are vigorously supporting, so one can hope that PPE production will be a strong product category for the Indian textile industry in the long run.
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