Parliament Question: GREAT Scheme

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2026 GREAT SCHEME

1504. SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:

SHRI SHASHANK MANI:

DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND:

SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL:

SHRI KRISHNA PRASAD TENNETI:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

MS. BANSURI SWARAJ:

SHRI AVIMANYU SETHI:

SHRI HASMUKHBHAI SOMABHAI PATEL:

SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री

be pleased to state :

(a) the key objectives of the Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) scheme aimed at promoting the startup ecosystem in the technical textiles sector, and progress made since its launch;

(b) whether the Government has undertaken any measures to promote participation of educational institutions, start-ups and innovators from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, particularly in eastern Uttar Pradesh, under the Scheme;

(c) if so, the details of research projects young innovators and start-ups supported under the Scheme, indicating the broad sectors of technical textiles covered financial assistance upto Rs.

50 lakh granted in this regard to innovator and start-ups, State-wise including Eastern UP and Karnataka;

(d) the mechanism adopted to monitor commercialisation of innovations and industry adoption of technologies developed under the Scheme;

(e) whether a dedicated review and monitoring committee has been constituted to guide and monitor the progress of startups funded under this scheme, if so, the details thereof, State-wise including Karnataka; and

(f) the details of technology areas identified for prototype development and innovations under the scheme and the measures taken to strengthen innovation, industry partnerships and market access for startups in the technical textiles sector, State-wise?उत्तर ANSWER वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री(श्री पबित्र मार्घरे रटा) THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES (SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)

(a): The Ministry of Textiles is implementing the "Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)" scheme under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) since 2023 with an objective to support the start-up ecosystem in the Technical Textiles sector by providing assistance to young innovators, scientists, technologists, and start-up ventures in translating their ideas into commercial technologies & products and fostering a culture of rapid translation of ideas and prototypes into products through collaboration among various stakeholders and establishment of a robust start- up ecosystem in the Technical Textiles sector. Since its launch, a total of 31 start-ups have been approved under GREAT scheme at a total cost of Rs 15.40 crore, of which Rs 13.65 crore is Government of India share.

(b): The National Technical Textiles Mission is a pan-India Mission. Under the GREAT scheme, a maximum financial support of Rs. 50 Lakh is provided to each approved start-up. The scheme is open to eligible start-ups in the Technical Textiles sector across the country, including those from eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Mission has carried out multiple public events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and outreach activities to promote the GREAT scheme, including in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. These awareness events have been conducted with educational & research institutions, Textile Research Associations, Start-up incubators, etc. which aimed at promoting the various components of the Mission and disseminating scheme-related information.

(c): Under the GREAT scheme, the 31 approved Start-Ups are working across six Technical Textiles segments for prototype development. These include Indutech (11), Meditech (9), Protech (7), Oekotech (2), Buildtech (1), Sportech (1). The State-wise details of Start-ups under

various Technical Textiles segment are as under:

Technical Textiles Segment State No. of Start-Ups Andhra Pradesh 1 Delhi 2 Gujarat 2 Indutech Karnataka 1 Maharashtra 1 Tamil Nadu 2 Uttar Pradesh 2 Delhi 2 Gujarat 1 Meditech Maharashtra 2 Tamil Nadu 4 Karnataka 1 Protech Delhi 1Rajasthan 1 Maharashtra 1 Punjab 1 Uttarakhand 1 Gujarat 1 Oekotech Maharashtra 2 Buildtech Uttar Pradesh 1 Sportech Maharashtra 1

(d): Under the GREAT guidelines, commercialization and industry adoption are tracked through incubator-facilitated feedback from industry experts/investors in the final project report.

Success is assessed on criteria like prototype/product development and field trials, market launch and further investor funding, and job creation and Start-up turnover. Incubators are further mandated to provide technical/business mentoring, intellectual property and legal support, training, and networking assistance to help translate innovations into market-ready, industry- adopted products.

(e): A Review and Monitoring Committee has been constituted to assess and oversee the progress of the approved start-ups, with the authority to recommend for release of subsequent instalments of grant and closure of projects to the Empowered Programme Committee under NTTM. Further, various public events, workshops, seminars and outreach activities are being organized nationwide to disseminate information about the scheme and facilitate industry engagement for scaling up the potential start-up projects.

(f): The GREAT scheme under NTTM is implemented across the country and the start-ups approved under this scheme covers a wide spectrum of technology domains, including advanced functional textiles such as temperature-responsive and self-sanitizing fabrics, smart textiles featuring graphene-based materials, energy-harvesting fabrics, shape-memory wearables for healthcare, high-performance composites for automotive, construction, and defence applications.

They also encompass sustainable, bio-based innovations such as hemp–bioplastic composites, biodegradable tire yarns, and algae-derived leather, as well as medical and healthcare solutions including surgical simulators and antimicrobial textile technologies.

Under NTTM, public events, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and outreach activities are organized. These initiatives are aimed at promoting the various components of the Mission and also provide a platform for researchers and start-ups to showcase their products and engage with industry stakeholders, including buyers and sellers, to encourage the scaling up of research outcomes and potential start-up projects.

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