National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) highlights the approval of seven startup proposals under the GREAT (Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles) scheme. This initiative is part of the broader Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) component of the NTTM.

Key Points:

1. Purpose of GREAT Initiative: The GREAT scheme aims to foster innovation and support research and entrepreneurship in the field of technical textiles. By providing grants, it encourages startups to develop new technologies and applications in this sector.
2. NTTM Objectives: The National Technical Textiles Mission is designed to promote the growth and advancement of technical textiles in India. This includes improving production capabilities, fostering innovation, and enhancing the overall market for technical textiles.
3. Impact of Funding: The approval of these startup proposals is expected to drive significant advancements in technical textiles, which could lead to the development of new products and technologies. This could potentially benefit a range of industries including healthcare, defense, and agriculture.
4. Focus Areas: Technical textiles are fabrics designed for specific performance and functional characteristics rather than just aesthetics. This includes applications like protective clothing, medical textiles, and smart textiles with embedded technology.

About Technical Textiles

Technical textiles are specialized fabrics designed primarily for their functional and performance attributes rather than for their aesthetic or decorative qualities. Their applications span a wide range, from everyday uses to high-tech applications, significantly impacting various industries.

Applications of Technical Textiles

1. Agriculture: Used for improving productivity through crop protection, soil enhancement, and more.
2. Infrastructure: Applied in road construction, railway tracks, and other civil engineering projects.
3. Sportswear: Enhances performance and comfort in athletic clothing.
4. Health: Includes medical textiles like bandages, surgical gowns, and other health-related applications.
5. Safety and Defense: Encompasses bulletproof jackets, fire-resistant clothing, and gear for high-altitude combat.
6. Space Applications: Used in various components for space exploration and satellite technology.

Significance of Technical Textiles for India

1. Enhanced Productivity:
   • The use of technical textiles in agriculture, such as in horticulture, can increase farm productivity by 2-5 times. For instance, advanced textile materials can help in controlling pests or improving soil conditions.
2. Government Initiatives and Market Growth:
   • Pack-tech Dominance: India has a substantial global market share of 40-45% in Pack-tech, which aligns with government efforts to phase out single-use plastics. This positions India as a key player in sustainable packaging solutions.
   • Market Growth: The Indian technical textiles market is expanding at 8-10% annually. It was the fifth-largest market globally, valued at USD 21.95 billion in 2021-22.
3. Export Potential:
   • India’s exports of technical textile products increased from USD 2.21 billion in 2020-21 to USD 2.85 billion in 2021-22, reflecting a growth rate of 28.4%. This highlights the growing global demand for Indian technical textiles.
4. Other Advantages:
   • Scalability: The technical textiles industry can scale up rapidly, adapting to increasing demands and new applications.
   • Employment Generation: This sector contributes to the high-wage workforce and can generate significant employment opportunities.

Challenges

1. Import Dependence for Machinery:
   • Issue: The majority of machinery required for manufacturing technical textiles is currently imported, as domestic production capabilities are limited.
   • Impact: This reliance on imports affects the cost and scalability of production, making it challenging for Indian manufacturers to compete globally.
2. Lack of Adoption:
   • Issue: Many end users are still unaware of the benefits and applications of technical textiles.
   • Impact: This lack of awareness limits the market potential and slows down the adoption rate of these innovative products.
3. Lack of Standardization and Related Regulations:
   • Issue: The absence of standardized benchmarks and regulations results in the proliferation of sub-standard products.
   • Impact: This undermines quality and consumer trust, making it difficult for high-quality domestic products to compete with cheaper, lower-quality imports.
4. Institutional Buyer Preferences:
   • Issue: Institutional buyers, such as the defense sector, often prefer imports due to the stringent standards required.
   • Impact: This preference for imported goods limits opportunities for domestic manufacturers to secure large-scale contracts.
5. Entrepreneurial Gap:
   • Issue: There is a limited entrepreneurial culture and insufficient skill training specific to technical textiles.
   • Impact: This gap hampers investment and the growth of production capacities within the country.
6. Inadequate R&D Facilities:
   • Issue: The lack of advanced research and development facilities stifles innovation in a rapidly evolving field.
   • Impact: This hinders the development of new products and processes, affecting the industry's competitiveness.

Government Initiatives

1. National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM):
   • Objective: To position India as a global leader in technical textiles.
   • Implementation: FY 2020-21 to 2023-24.
   • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Textiles.
2. Schemes:
   • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles: Provides incentives to increase domestic production.
   • PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel Parks (MITRA) Scheme: Aims to create world-class infrastructure for the textile industry.
   • Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP): Supports the establishment of textile parks with modern infrastructure.
3. Quality Control Regulations:
   • The Ministry of Textiles has issued Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for various categories of technical textiles, including geo-tech, protective, agro, and meditech textiles.
4. New HSN Codes:
   • Development of new Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) codes dedicated to technical textiles’ products facilitates better tracking and management.
5. Standards Development:
   • More than 500 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standards have been developed for technical textiles to ensure quality and standardization.
6. Mandatory Usage of Technical Textiles:
   • Technical textiles have been identified for mandatory usage across various central ministries and departments to leverage their benefits in different applications.

While the Indian technical textiles industry faces significant challenges such as import dependence, lack of adoption, and insufficient standardization, the government has implemented several initiatives to address these issues. The National Technical Textiles Mission, various schemes, quality control regulations, and standards development are aimed at fostering growth and innovation in the sector. Overcoming these challenges will be crucial for India to fully capitalize on the potential of technical textiles and establish itself as a global leader in this field.

The exit polls for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in India have proven to be notably inaccurate, with the BJP-led NDA's performance falling well short of the projections suggesting over 350 seats. This discrepancy highlights ongoing debates and legal issues surrounding exit polls in India. The concise overview of the history and regulations regarding exit polls in India are given below

History of Exit Polls in India

• 1957: Exit polls were first conducted during the second Lok Sabha elections by the Indian Institute of Public Opinion.

Regulations and Legal Challenges

• 1998 Lok Sabha Elections:
  • ECI Guidelines: The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued guidelines under Article 324 of the Constitution, which prohibited the publication of pre-election surveys and exit polls from 5 pm on February 14 (before the start of voting) to 5 pm on March 7 (the last day of voting). These guidelines aimed to prevent any influence on the electorate during this critical period.
  • Judicial Challenge: The media challenged these guidelines in the Supreme Court and various High Courts, arguing that they violated the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. The Supreme Court upheld the guidelines, leading to a unique situation where both opinion and exit polls were banned for almost a month during the 1998 elections.
• 1999 Lok Sabha Elections:
  • Attempt to Reimpose Guidelines: The ECI sought to reimpose similar guidelines for the 1999 elections. This move was contested by media organizations, and the matter was referred to the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench. The Court ruled that such guidelines could not be enforced without statutory backing.
• 2004 Amendment to Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951:
  • Section 126A: The ECI requested a legislative amendment to the RPA to ban both exit and opinion polls. In 2010, an amendment was passed that specifically banned exit polls under Section 126A of the RPA. This section restricts the publication and dissemination of exit poll results from the first hour of polling until half an hour after polling ends in all states and union territories. Violations can result in up to two years of imprisonment, a fine, or both. This restriction aims to prevent influencing voters who have yet to cast their ballots.
• 2013 Recommendations:
  • Extension of Restrictions: The ECI recommended further restrictions to include opinion polls from the date of election notification until the end of polling. While all political parties except the BJP supported this proposal, the Law Ministry has yet to take action on it.

Key Points

• Purpose of Restrictions: The primary aim of these regulations is to avoid influencing voters during the election process and ensure a fair voting environment.
• Enforcement Challenges: Despite these regulations, enforcement remains a challenge, and discrepancies in exit poll predictions continue to spark debates on their accuracy and impact on electoral outcomes.

Exit polls are a tool used to gauge the outcome of an election before the official results are declared. They can offer insights into voter behavior and trends, but their accuracy and reliability can be affected by a number of factors.

Accuracy of Exit Polls

1. Historical Inaccuracies: As you've noted, exit polls do not always match the final results. For instance, if exit polls predict a much higher number of seats for a particular alliance than what is eventually secured, this indicates discrepancies. The recent example where exit polls predicted a much higher number of seats for the NDA than what was achieved demonstrates that these predictions can be significantly off the mark.
2. Factors Affecting Accuracy: The accuracy of exit polls can be influenced by several factors:
   • Sample Representation: If the sample surveyed is not representative of the actual voter population, the results will be skewed.
   • Methodology: Variations in methodology, such as the mode of conducting surveys (telephone vs. in-person) and timing, can impact results.
   • Response Bias: Voters may not always be truthful in exit polls, leading to skewed results.

Challenges in Conducting Exit Polls

1. Diversity: The diversity of the electorate in terms of location, caste, religion, language, and socio-economic status makes it challenging to create a representative sample. Misrepresentation of any group can lead to inaccurate predictions.
2. Changes in Poll Alliances: Shifts in political alliances between elections complicate predictions. Exit polls often rely on historical data, which may not accurately reflect new political dynamics.
3. Faulty Premises: Exit polls assume that voters will answer truthfully, which may not always be the case. Social desirability bias and pressure to conform can affect responses.
4. Cost and Methodological Constraints: Budget and time limitations may force pollsters to cut corners or use less effective methods, impacting accuracy.
5. Sampling Errors: Errors in sampling, whether due to human error or methodological flaws, can distort results.
6. Historical Data: Reliance on past election data can be problematic, especially if there are significant demographic or political changes since the last election.
7. Caste and Socio-Economic Data: Lack of detailed socio-economic and caste data can hinder the ability to predict outcomes accurately, particularly in a diverse country like India.
8. Representation of Women: If women are underrepresented in the sample, it can lead to inaccuracies, especially in constituencies with significant gender imbalances.
9. Close Elections: In tightly contested elections, exit polls may struggle to provide accurate predictions due to the close nature of the results.

Criticism of Exit Polls

1. Bias: Exit and opinion polls can be criticized for bias if the polling agency is perceived to favor a particular party or outcome.
2. Influence: The design of surveys, including question wording and sample selection, can influence results. The timing of the poll and the wording of questions can also affect outcomes.
3. Motivation: There is a risk that polls might be influenced by political motivations or sponsorship, potentially skewing results to favor certain parties or outcomes.

The concise overview of the global scenario regarding the reporting of opinion and exit polls:

European Union (EU)

• Restrictions: Sixteen EU countries impose reporting bans on opinion polls. These bans vary in duration from a full month to just 24 hours before polling day. The intent behind these bans is often to prevent the influence of polling data on voters’ decisions right before they cast their ballots.
• Exceptions: Only Italy, Slovakia, and Luxembourg have longer bans, extending beyond a week. The EU's diverse regulations reflect varying national approaches to managing the impact of polling data on electoral integrity.

United Kingdom

• Opinion Polls: There are no restrictions on publishing opinion poll results at any time.
• Exit Polls: The publication of exit poll results is restricted until after the voting has concluded. This restriction helps prevent exit poll results from influencing voters’ decisions before polls close.

United States

• Opinion Polls: There are no restrictions on the publication of opinion poll results, and they can be reported at any time. This reflects a strong emphasis on freedom of speech and the press in the U.S.
• Exit Polls: News organizations voluntarily agree not to report exit poll results until after voting has ended. This self-imposed restriction helps avoid influencing voters’ decisions with premature exit poll data.