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IIT Delhi establishes Manish Singhal Chair to boost small textiles

29 Jul '21
2 min read
Pic: Shutterstock
Pic: Shutterstock

IIT Delhi alumnus Manish Singhal (B Tech in Chemical Engineering, 1994 batch) has established the ‘Manish Singhal Chair’ in the department of textile and fibre engineering to promote teaching and research in the small textiles sector. The initiative will promote interaction between the industry, faculty and students to boost smart textiles in the country.

Singhal is the managing director of KG Petrochem, a Jaipur-based company having interests in textiles, garments, artificial leathers, and polymers. KG Petrochem is a leading manufacturer of cotton terry towels, made-ups such as bathrobe, pillow, cushion cover and quilts, which it markets both domestically and internationally. KG Petrochem’s technical textiles division manufactures PU based high-quality artificial leather for the automotive, footwear and clothing industries.

Prof R S Rengasamy, head of the department, Textile and Fibre Engineering, IIT Delhi said that the establishment of ‘Manish Singhal Chair’ would facilitate wider and deeper interactions between the industry, faculty and students and promote ‘smart textiles’ in the country.

Smart textiles refer to specialised textile materials that have built-in functionality to serve a special purpose over and above the usual functions of apparel. It is an emerging area that is taking applications of textiles to new territories of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), medicine, defence, space, and manufacturing. It aims at adding electronic functionality in textiles for sensing, communication, energy harvesting and storage, and creating highly protective apparel against microbes and radiations.

Dr. Ashwini K Agrawal, a professor in the Textile and Fibre Engineering Department added, “I am really happy to learn that Manish Singhal has taken initiative to encourage and recognise research in smart textiles at IIT Delhi. Several faculty members at the department of textile and fibre engineering have been doing pioneering work in this area for the last several years. Smita Research Lab, which is now a Centre of Excellence in smart textiles, has been instrumental in taking some of the technologies to the market”.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

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