India has launched a pioneering quality control programme for technical textiles manufactured by its industries.

Technical textiles covered in the first phase of this programme are Geo Textiles and Protective Textiles, Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, told the media on Tuesday.

“The first batch of Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 items mark the first technical regulation from India for the technical textiles industry,” Saxena said.

Geo Textiles are used for infrastructure projects and environmental applications worldwide. Protective Textiles are used to protect human life from hazardous and adverse working conditions.

Of the 31 items covered by the QCOs, 19 are in the category of Geo Textiles and 12 items come under Protective Textiles.

The 12 items covered under Protective Textiles include protective clothing and gloves for firefighters, protective clothing for industrial workers exposed to heat, water-proof multipurpose rain ponchos, bullet-resistant jackets and clothing for use in welding and allied processes.

Examples of 19 Geo Textiles which will get quality cover include material used in sub-surface drainage applications, sub-grade stabilisation of pavement structures, permanent erosion control in hard armour systems and flexible pavements, soil reinforcements, effluents and chemical resistance linings.

Saxena said the new initiative is “in public interest for the protection of the environment, human health, animal and plant life and to increase the standard and quality of Geo Textiles and Protective Textiles made in India. This will bring Indian products on par with global standards.”

In the second phase of this initiative, 22 items of Agro Textiles and six items of Medical Textiles are to be covered, Saxena added.