170 companies approved under PLI scheme for textiles
New Delhi, Aug 4
A total of 170 companies have been approved for participation under the PLI scheme for textiles, the government said on Tuesday.
Further, 225 products have been notified in MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics and Technical Textiles segments in the scheme, said Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
"Regular monitoring and review of PLI scheme is done at the level of Ministry and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the nodal Department for all PLI Schemes. A Project Management Agency (PMA) has also been engaged for rigorous ground-level verification, and a dedicated PLI portal has been created to serve as a centralized repository for scheme-related data and performance metrics," the minister informed.
Meanwhile, under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), the scheme of "Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)" aims to support the startup ecosystem in the technical textiles sector by providing assistance to young innovators, scientists, technologists, and startup ventures in translating their ideas into commercial technologies and products.
The total budget allocated to the NTTM for the current financial year (2026-27) is Rs 256 crore, which includes the provision for releasing grants to start-ups under the GREAT scheme, the minister informed.
Under NTTM, 31 startups have been approved at a total cost of Rs 15.40 crore, of which Rs 13.65 crore is the Government of India share, said Margherita in a written reply to a separate question in Lok Sabha.
The minister also informed that under small cluster development programme, a component under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP), an amount of Rs 78.31 lakh has been released during 2023-24 and 2024-25, benefitting 343 handloom weavers in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great initiative but I wish more attention was given to the handloom sector. Only Rs 78 lakh for 343 weavers in Tamil Nadu seems quite less when you compare it to the billions being pumped into corporate PLI schemes. Our traditional weavers need better support too - they are the real custodians of Indian textile heritage. 🇮🇳
As someone who works in the global textile trade, I can say this is a very positive step. India has been losing ground to Vietnam and Bangladesh in MMF apparel. The PLI scheme with 225 products notified shows serious intent. The dedicated portal and PMA for verification also shows the government is learning from past scheme implementation issues. Transparency will be key to its success.
The GREAT scheme for startups in technical textiles is something to watch out for! 31 startups already approved with Rs 13.65 crore government share - that's not huge but a good beginning. From my experience in Bengaluru's startup ecosystem, the key is whether these grants translate into actual commercial products. Hope there's proper mentorship beyond just funding.
Interesting to see the NTTM budget of Rs 256 crore for 2026-27. Technical textiles is a high-growth area with applications in healthcare, agriculture, and defense. But I wonder if the government is doing enough to promote R&D beyond just funding startups. India needs more research institutions focusing on this field to compete with countries like China and Germany.
Good policy direction, but I'm skeptical about ground-level implementation. We
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