Smriti Irani suggests using jute in infra, smart city projects

Kolkata, Feb 28: Pitching for diversification of jute products, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said there is a need to look at the potential of jute for the building of smart cities and infrastructure. “Today, when we talk about diversification of jute products, we look at not only card holder, shopping bag, etc., but also look at the potential of jute for building of smart cities and infrastructure,” she said at the 27th Technological Conference organised by the Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA). According to her, the industry stands at Rs 10,000 crore at valuation but has a huge potential to grow. Emphasising on the need for research and development in geo-textiles, she said the scientific data can infuse confidence in industry partners and ministries like Road Transport and also provide enough impetus to include geo-textiles for building infrastructure. (IANS)