The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is helping the Indian textile industry in the production of yarn for use in place of Chinese and other foreign cloth (fabric) used in making army uniforms in the country. This will help reduce the dependence on imports in the region. Dr Mayank Dwivedi, Director of Directorate of Industry Interface and Technology Management (DIITM) at DRDO, said that about 55 lakh meters of fabric would be needed only for the summer uniform of the Indian Army. And if all the requirements of the Navy, Air Force and paramilitary forces are combined, then this requirement reaches above 15 million meters per year.
He said, ‘We are following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a self-reliant India, especially in the case of defence products. If these yarns and clothes are produced in India for the purpose of making uniforms for the armed forces, then it will be a big achievement because it will help us to take a step forward towards self-reliant India.
He added that advanced clothing can also be used for future needs of parachutes and bulletproof jackets. Dr. Dwivedi said that in the defence sector, there is great potential for technical textiles like glass fabric, carbon fabric, aramid fabric and advanced ceramic fabric. Some industries in Ahmedabad and Surat are also producing advanced fabrics used in the defence sector.
