Centre Backs Indigenous Geo-Grid Coating Technology With Rs 14.92 Crore Project
The Ministry of Textiles has approved a Rs 14.92 crore project under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) to develop indigenous geo-grid coating technology, marking a major step towards reducing the country’s dependence on imported technical textile machinery.
The project has been awarded jointly to the Man Made Textiles Research Association (MANTRA), Surat and Yamuna Machines Pvt. Ltd., Vapi, combining research expertise with industrial manufacturing capabilities to develop a world-class geo-grid coating line entirely within India.
Currently, advanced geo-grid coating machinery is predominantly imported from countries such as Germany, South Korea and the United States. The indigenous development of this technology is expected to significantly reduce import dependence, with industry estimates suggesting potential annual foreign exchange savings of Rs 200–300 crore.
The project aims to develop a complete Indian technology platform rather than simply manufacture a machine. It will advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-3 to TRL-8, paving the way for commercial-scale production of energy-efficient, high-performance and globally competitive geo-grid coating machinery designed to meet the needs of the domestic industry.
Geo-grids play a vital role in modern infrastructure development, finding applications in highways, railways, expressways, airports, ports, retaining walls, riverbank protection and slope stabilisation, where they provide critical soil reinforcement.
The research programme will be led by Dr. Pankaj Gandhi, Director of MANTRA and Dr. Hitesh Jariwala, Deputy Director, while Madhubhai, Founder of Yamuna Machines Pvt. Ltd., will lead the engineering, design and manufacturing efforts. The collaboration is expected to serve as a benchmark for industry-academia partnerships in advanced textile machinery development.
According to the project team, the objective is to build a comprehensive indigenous technology ecosystem capable of delivering world-class quality, higher productivity, improved energy efficiency and long-term industrial scalability.
Beyond machine development, the project will establish advanced research and testing infrastructure for product design, prototype development, quality evaluation and industrial-scale validation before commercial deployment.
The initiative is expected to strengthen India’s technical textiles ecosystem by enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities, reducing import dependence and creating new opportunities in exports, employment and technology innovation.
The Ministry’s decision to entrust the project to two Gujarat-based organisations also underscores the state’s growing role as a hub for technical textile innovation. Once commercialised, the indigenous geo-grid coating technology is expected to support national initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Viksit Bharat, while positioning India as a competitive global supplier of technical textile machinery.
