8th Empowered Programme Committee (EPC) meeting

Current Context: The 8th Empowered Programme Committee (EPC) meeting under the National Technical Textiles Mission was held on August 27, 2024, at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles.

• During this meeting, the committee approved grants for four startups, each receiving approximately INR 50 lakhs under the ‘Grant for Research & Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)’ scheme.
• These startups are working in key strategic areas such as composites, sustainable textiles, and smart textiles.
• Additionally, five educational institutes were granted around INR 20 crore to introduce new courses in technical textiles.
• These courses will cover various fields, including geotextiles, geosynthetics, composites, and civil structures.
• This initiative aims to foster innovation and growth in the technical textiles sector, which has been growing rapidly in India.

Question:

1 How much grant, approximately, did each startup receive under the GREAT scheme during the 8th EPC meeting?

• A) INR 20 lakhs
• B) INR 50 lakhs
• C) INR 75 lakhs
• D) INR 1 crore

Answer: B) Each startup received approximately INR 50 lakhs under the GREAT scheme, according to the details provided.