New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- The Centre has begun a major revamp of the country's cotton fibre testing infrastructure, with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) expediting the modernization of 21 laboratories across key cotton-producing regions, two government officials said.

The project, under the aegis of the Department of Consumer Affairs, will equip laboratories operated by the Textiles Committee, Power Loom Service Centres and the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) with modern testing equipment to assess cotton fibre quality and impurities.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening quality assessment closer to cotton-producing regions, supporting fairer quality-based transactions and improving the competitiveness of Indian cotton and texti...