SITRA, an acronym for The South India Textile Research Association, and established in the year 1956, is governed by a Council of Administration consisting of member representatives of the Industry, Government and Scientists. SITRA is sponsored by the Industry and is supported by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.Sprawling in a campus of about 13.14 hectares, SITRA is within easy access of a large number of textile mills. With a floor space of about 15,000 sq. m., SITRA houses its well-equipped testing, electronics and calibration laboratories, pilot mills, library, etc. SITRA has a full range of sophisticated textile testing instruments and modern machines and is one of the best-equipped textile research organisations in the World.SITRA is one amongst the chain of laboratories in the country. It is an autonomous scientific research organisation registered in May 1951 under the Societies Registration Act (XXI) of 1860. It is governed by a Council of Administration consisting of twenty-five members who include representatives of the Industry, the Central and State Governments and the scientists from reputed Institutions.The foundation stone of SITRA was laid by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 25th December 1955. SITRA commenced functioning in 1956 in the premises of the Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA), Coimbatore, with 44 member mills and two Divisions.SITRA's own building was declared open on 13th October 1958 by Dr. S.Radhakrishnan, the then Vice-President of India. Shri N.Sanjeeva Reddy, the then President of India inaugurated Silver Jubilee celebrations of SITRA on 8th April 1981.To begin with SITRA had only two Divisions, viz. i) Liaison and Statistics and ii) Industrial Psychology. The productivity survey in spinning mills was initiated by SITRA in 1956 before the formation of National Productivity Council by the Government of India.