Gujarat : MANTRA to Build India’s First Indigenous Geo-Grid Technology

SURAT : In a major push towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and India’s ambition to become a global manufacturing hub, the Union Ministry of Textiles has approved a ₹14.92 crore project to develop advanced indigenous geo-grid coating technology, ending the country’s long-standing dependence on imported technical textile machinery. The prestigious project has been entrusted to Surat-based Man Made Textiles Research Association (MANTRA) and Vapi-based Yamuna Machines Private Limited, placing Gujarat at the centre of India’s next-generation technical textile revolution.

Approved under the National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM), the project focuses on the design, development and manufacturing of a world-class Geo-Grid Coating Line entirely within India. At present, such sophisticated machinery is largely imported from countries including Germany, South Korea and the United States, resulting in significant foreign exchange outflow.

Officials estimate that successful indigenous development of the technology could reduce annual imports worth ₹200-300 crore, while generating substantial long-term savings in foreign exchange and strengthening India’s manufacturing capabilities.

Geo-grids are a critical component of modern infrastructure projects and are widely used in highways, railways, expressways, airports, ports, riverbank protection, slope stabilisation, retaining walls and other civil engineering applications where soil reinforcement is essential.

Unlike conventional manufacturing projects, this initiative aims to establish an end-to-end Indian technology ecosystem. The project will take the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-3 to TRL-8, enabling commercial-scale production of high-quality, energy-efficient and globally competitive geo-grid coating machinery tailored to Indian industry requirements.

Leading the research effort from MANTRA are Director Dr. Pankaj Gandhi and Deputy Director Dr. Hitesh Jariwala, while Madhubhai, founder of Yamuna Machines Private Limited, will spearhead industrial design, engineering and manufacturing. Their collaboration is being seen as a model partnership between research institutions and private industry.

“The objective is not merely to manufacture a machine but to develop a complete indigenous technology platform capable of delivering world-class quality, higher productivity, energy efficiency and future industrial scalability,” the project team said.

The initiative will also establish advanced research infrastructure for product design, prototype development, testing, quality evaluation and industrial-scale validation before commercial deployment.

Industry experts believe the project will significantly strengthen India’s technical textile sector by reducing import dependency while creating new opportunities in exports, employment and technology development.

The Centre’s decision to entrust the project to two Gujarat-based organisations highlights the state’s growing prominence in high-end textile innovation. Once completed, the indigenous geo-grid coating line is expected to support flagship national initiatives such as Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat, while positioning India as a global leader in technical textile machinery manufacturing.