A technical textile park will come up in Salem, Tamil Nadu. As per the state’s Chief Secretary, K Shanmugam the plan is to set up two textile parks, one in Tuticorin and Salem. The one in Salem would be for technical textiles. Technical textiles are textile material and products used for their technical performance rather than as personal clothing. They could be anything ranging from bullet proof and fire proof jackets and to sheets used in surfacing of roads and those used in medicines, such as bandages and gloves.

The technical textile market in India is growing at 12 per cent a year. The aim is to make it grow by 15 per cent to 20 per cent a year. Demand for this sector is rising due to many factors including rapid urbanisation, advances in medical technology, expansion in construction sectors, awareness on safety and environmentalism and increased spending on healthcare. Technical textiles are very significant for the growth of the entire textile industry as they are value added products manufactured primarily for technical performance and multi-functional properties with less intent on aesthetics and design. This sector is considered as a sunrise sector and it provides new opportunities to the Indian industry to have a long term sustainable future. India still has a long way to go as it currently lacks the ability to domestically fulfil the rising demand and to be globally competitive in this sector. There is untapped potential both in the export and domestic market of technical textiles.