CHENNAI: By 2025, footwear as per Indian sizing system will be available in the country, against the existing US and UK sizes, said N Kalaiselvi, director general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), on Tuesday.
She said that Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), a constituent laboratory under CSIR, has already completed its pan-India feet scanning survey and submitted the final report to the Bureau of Indian Standards.
“Over 1 lakh people from across 73 districts of India, within the age group of 5 to 55 have been surveyed and the report has been submitted to BIS. We will be able to launch the Indian footwear sizing system by 2025,” said Kalaiselvi during her visit to CLRI.
She added that CLRI will now focus on creating footwear to meet health care needs of people. “With consultation from doctors and physiotherapists, they will develop footwear for patients suffering from orthopedic, diabetes and hormonal imbalance related problems,” said Kalaiselvi.
“Indians have wider feet, so while creating the sizing system along with length, we have also taken width of the feet into account,” said CLRI director KJ Sreeram.
“We will conduct a user trial on 10,000 people with the new sizes for next 18 months, following which footwear with Indian sizes will be available in market,” added Sreeram.