Indian defence sector an opportunity for textile industry’s growth

The Indian Army often requires gloves, jackets, socks, shoes, tent material, tarpaulins, and many more textile items for the soldiers who are in high altitude and super high altitude areas, sources these from the domestic and overseas manufacturers. But it is now looking at more of local manufacturers and is creating awareness among the local industries on the defence requirements for protective clothing.

P.N. Ananthanarayanan, Deputy Director General, Equipment Management (General Stores &Clothing), Master General of Ordnance Branch – Indian Army, who was here on Thursday to address the participants at a meeting on technical textiles said that there is a need for high altitude clothing, super high altitude clothing, protective textiles, geo fabric for border roads, etc.

He further added saying that they are carrying out product development in a number of clothing items. Prototypes are created and samples are usually tried out during winter. The defence procurement manual is under review. They are trying to encourage industries to come forward. The units can come in as a consortium too.

An awareness need to be created and improve among the industry and the domestic vendor base should widen as their volume of requirement is going up every year.

The annual budget for general clothing is about Rs. 1,100 crore and Rs. 400 crore of this goes to purchases from the trade and the rest to ordnance stores. Apart from these, imports are worth more than Rs. 200 crore. The super high altitude clothing is mostly imported from the European countries.