§1What this business is
An anklet web is a cotton or polypropylene webbing cover worn round the ankle, closing the gap between the trouser and the boot. It is part of the uniform of the armed forces, central police forces, railway protection force and state police. The work is cutting to shape, making the inner and outer sides, stitching on lining, straps and aluminium slide buckles, inspection, marking and bale packing, all to the defence specification DMS RDE/T&GS/77/227(a). The item is reserved for purchase from micro and small enterprises and is bought through GeM. The DPR takes a price of ₹50 a pair.
Capacity: 27,000 pairs a month at 75% use — 3,24,000 pairs a year (one 8-hour shift, 25 days a month, 15 single-needle machines).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A garment or bag stitching unit owner who can follow a defence specification and bid on GeM.
Who it is not for
Anyone who wants walk-in retail customers or quick cash sales.
Advantages
- Fixed cost is under ₹8 L — sewing machines and tables only
- Reserved for purchase from micro and small enterprises
- Uniformed forces of over 63 lakh people need new pairs regularly
- Simple cutting and stitching; no product licence needed
Drawbacks
- Buyers are almost only government forces
- Thin margin: about ₹4.50 profit on a ₹50 pair
- High break-even of 69%
- Three months of wages and material must be funded before payment arrives
Skills you need
- Cutting and lock-stitch sewing of heavy webbing
- Reading a defence stores specification
- Bidding on GeM and government tenders
- Inspection and bale packing as the buyer wants
Why difficulty 2/5: Easy stitching work; the hard part is winning government orders and waiting for payment.
§3Market
Who buys
- Army, Navy and Air Force
- Central armed police forces (BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP) and Railway Protection Force
- State and union territory police
- Central public sector undertakings
How it sells
- Government e-Marketplace (GeM) bids
- Tenders of defence and police stores departments
- Sub-contract work for larger uniform suppliers
Good to know
- The DPR counts about 63 lakh uniformed personnel and assumes two pairs each a year.
- The item is among the 358 items reserved for purchase from micro and small enterprises.
- Imports under the heading used in the DPR were ₹98.43 crore, ₹95.21 crore and ₹94.63 crore in 2017-18 to 2019-20.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Round knife cutting machine | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Cutting table | 2 | ₹24,000 |
| Single-needle sewing machine | 15 | ₹4,20,000 |
| Snap-button fixing machine | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Checking table and packing tables | 3 | ₹30,000 |
| Steam iron box | 5 | ₹20,000 |
| Genset | 1 | ₹1,50,000 |
| Stools and scissors | 20 + 10 | ₹27,000 |
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Anklets Web Khaki
- Light-weight web fabric with lining cloth (cotton or polypropylene)0.1 m a pair; 2,700 m a month at ₹100 a metre
- Aluminium slide buckles6 a pair; 1,62,000 a month at ₹1 each
- Thin web strap 13 mm16,200 m a month at ₹3 a metre
- Sewing thread₹25,000 a month
- Packing material (jute twine, polythene film, hessian)₹27,000 a month
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration (needed for the MSE purchase preference)
- GST registration
- Seller registration on GeM
- Shop and establishment or factory registration as the state requires
- Test report to specification DMS RDE/T&GS/77/227(a) when the buyer asks
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
At about ₹43 L the project fits under the PMEGP ceiling of ₹50 L for manufacturing. CGTMSE can cover the working capital loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed cost ₹7.71 L (machinery ₹7.36 L, pre-operative ₹15,000, erection and installation ₹20,000; the 2,000 sq ft premises are rented) + working capital for 3 months ₹35.26 L (₹11,75,350 a month) = ₹42,97,050.
Working capital: Working capital ₹35.26 L for 3 months. Monthly: salaries ₹5,78,750; fabric 2,700 m at ₹100 a metre ₹2,70,000; buckles and straps ₹2,10,600; thread, packing, rent and other costs make up the rest.
The DPR does not print its date (its trade data ends in 2019-20) — check current machine and fabric prices.
§8Export potential
The DPR quotes HSN 63090000, which is the heading for worn clothing — confirm the correct ITC(HS) line for new webbing anklets with a customs broker.
§9Risks — where people fail
- A lot rejected at the buyer's inspection
- Gaps between tenders leaving the workers idle
- Late payment from government buyers
- Low bids from other small units
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working anklets web (uniform ankle gaiters) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration (needed for the MSE purchase preference), GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Anklets Web (Uniform Ankle Gaiters)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.