Under 'AtmaNirbhar' initiative GOI turned PPE crisis into 'opportunity': Smriti Irani

Union Textile Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani on December 11 said that the concerted efforts of the government, industry, and multiple stakeholders turned the PPE crisis into an opportunity for India. Calling this success as an ‘inspiration’ for indigenous manufacturers, Irani said that India was able to produce 60 million PPEs and 150 million N-95 masks domestically during the ongoing pandemic crisis that led to a shortage of medical equipment. At her virtual address during a meeting related to “A Movement Towards AtmaNirbhar Bharat,” the minister said that under its AtmaNirbhar initiative, India was able to spin a dire crisis into a success story as it not only manufactured domestically, but also exported 20 million PPE suits, and close to 40 million N 95 masks overseas. 

“Starting from zero, today we have over 1100 companies for PPE suits and over 200 domestic manufacturers for N-95 masks,” the Union textile minister said, adding, that the nation did not dilute the international standards and exported the protective gears at 10 percent of import costs. “We are also comparative with the best in the world in terms of cost,” Irani said. She added, that the despite lockdown, the government also managed to give 5 lakh sustainable direct jobs, and no one had to ask for a subsidy. The minister assured the industry leaders that the government will continue to provide a supportive environment and ecosystem for growth.

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Having realized the critical role of PPE during the global crisis as early as March, India ramped up PPE manufacture to nearly 4.5 lakh PPE kits per day as MoHFW implemented an outreach programme in collaboration with The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA). India became the second-largest global exporter of protective medical gears classified under the class-3 protection level as per the ISO 16603 standard, all the while becoming self-sufficient in just 60 days, Irani iterated.  

Created industry in '60 days'

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Textiles (MoT) brought on board the textile and healthcare industry experts, industry associations, and major manufacturing companies, and undertook a joint study to take stock of the resources at hand for building an indigenous supply chain and the existing gaps that need to be tackled. MoT and MoHFW also managed to establish a network of testing labs and several NABL-accredited laboratories were approved. By July, post lockdown, India’s supply of indigenous PPE kits had surpassed the domestic demand, and the nation exported 23,00,000 PPEs to the US, the UK, Senegal, Slovenia, and UAE, Irani said in her address. “What is remarkable about this journey is that India created an industry when none existed in 60 days,” Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Ravi Capoor added. 

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