The Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) recently hosted the 58th edition of Joint Technological Conference at its campus in Ghaziabad. It also separately organized a conference on technical textiles Tech-Tex 2019.
The JTC is an annual feature of India’s four premier textiles research associations (TRAs) viz. ATIRA, BTRA, SITRA and NITRA. The JTC is a jointly organized prestigious techno-conference in which delegates from the textile & clothing industry take part. The major technical developments in the field of textile technology, based on the R&D works carried out by four TRAs during the year, are presented and deliberated in the conference.
MoS for External Affairs General VK Singh, illuminated the event as chief guest. Other eminent industrialists were SK Kapoor and Raj Kumar Jain, respective Chairman and Vice Chairman of NITRA, Director General, NITRA Dr. Arindum Basu and respective Directors of ATIRA, BTRA, and SITRA MN Subramanian, Dr. Anjan K Mukhopadhaya and Dr. Prakash Vasudevan. Emeritus Prof. VK Kothari and Prof. R. Chattopadhyay, both from IIT Delhi, along with MK Garg from Alps Industries chaired the three technical sessions. During the day-long conference, 12 technical papers were presented to about 200 industry professionals. An exhibition and a presentation event was also organized to mark the moment.
Gen. VK Singh expressed happiness over the activities and achievements of the TRAs and advised them to develop marketable products so that buyers from the world market rely on Indian textile products in preference to other countries. He also urged the TRAs to focus on technical textiles through CoEs that are established in TRAs.
He was particularly with NITRA’s substantial R&D and many product developments in the area of protective textiles. He also suggested a few new areas, where NITRA can work. At the end, he felicitated nine NITRA employees, who have completed 25 years of dedicated service to NITRA.
SK Kapoor, Chairman, NITRA, in his welcome address mentioned that, TRAs are the flag-bearers of textile research in India and are also acting as implementing agencies for MoT. He urged the industry to provide more support to TRAs.