PPE industry providing sustainable direct employment: Smriti Irani

India produced over 60 million personal protective equipment (PPE) and 150 million N95 masks from March to October, said Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani while addressing a programme on Aatmanirbhar Bharat via videoconferencing on Friday.

Attended a Webinar on 'A Movement Towards #AatmaNirbharBharat – Competitiveness & Manufacturing of PPEs' hosted by @arthsastra. I thank the organisation for conducting a study on India's success in becoming one of the world leaders in mfg & exports of PPE Coveralls & N-95 masks. pic.twitter.com/wd9qQ9ZRud

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) December 11, 2020

At her virtual address during a meeting related to "A Movement Towards AtmaNirbhar Bharat," the minister said, " From not having a single manufacturing unit for PPE in March, India so far has produced over 60 million PPE coveralls & more than 150 million N-95 masks. And, exported 20 million PPE coveralls & 40 million N-95 masks to Europe, Africa, Australia, USA & Middle East countries."

Smriti Irani remarked 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' as a glorious chapter for BJP government as India became the only nation in the world to have established a Rs. 7,000 crore PPE industry providing sustainable direct employment to 5 lakh people during the pandemic.

"I thank the organisation for conducting a study on India's success in becoming one of the world leaders in mfg & exports of PPE Coveralls & N-95 masks" she added.