Following the persistent efforts of Punjab Industries Department, five private units have cleared the crucial testing phase on way to delivering the life-saving PPEs, N 95 & N 99 Masks, further strengthening the state capability to counter the unprecedented challenge.Stating this here today, industries Minister Sunder Sham Arora disclosed that for manufacturing and supply of Protective Personal Equipment (PPEs) Ludhiana firms Shiva Textiles, Swamy Textiles and Shingora have been approved by SITRA, Coimbatore which are the authorized testing laboratories. This is in addition to JCT Fabrics, Phagwara, and Ever shine garments, Ludhiana, the Minister added.For manufacturing of N 95 Masks and N 99 Masks, Surgeine Hosphiarpur and Oxyclear have got the go-ahead with two other Ludhiana based firms Gurkirpa Textlies and Navyug Laminates given permission to supply the PPE Fabric.The industries department under the leadership of the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is aggressively complementing state government's efforts by engaging and facilitating textile and technical textile industry to manufacture critical life-saving equipments, the Minister added. Pertinently, twenty technical textile units have been identified who are manufacturing or capable of manufacturing PPE and Masks, and a number of those units are in the process of developing samples of PPE and protective masks which will be sent to the Laboratories for testing, the Minister further informed.SIDBI is providing 100% project finance loans of upto 50 lacs, with a 5 year term and 5% interest rate. This is being done under their 'SAFE' program which stands for, SIDBI Assistance for Facilitating Emergency Response to Corona virus.