In a bid to popularise and create job opportunities in the Khadi sector in India, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has organised a National Khadi festival. Union Minister for MSME, Giriraj Singh inaugurated the month-long event on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, that fell on 2nd October 2018.
The ongoing festival is being hosted at Gramodaya in Mumbai’s Vile Parle, with an objective to boost cottage industry goods and generate awareness regarding the tradition of different states. It is also touted to offer job opportunities for the weavers and workers who are a part of the cottage sector.
Giriraj Singh, Union MSME Minister, affirmed, the centre had successfully taken the message of Khadi to different countries around the world. “Khadi is a way to address the challenge of unemployment. It is a sustainable means of creating revenue for India’s villages,” he added.
Reportedly, about 100 Khadi institution from various states will be taking part in the festival, where a varied range of silk sarees, kurtas, jackets, bedsheets, dress material, carpets, art and handicrafts goods will be offered for the visitors.
Notably, the central government has set an ambitious target to attain sales worth Rs. 32 billion by the end of the current financial year. The turnover of the last financial year was reported at Rs. 25.08 billion, where KVIC recorded a 34 per cent rise as compared to the previous year.
Additionally, KVIC also launched a solar charkha on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, that seeks to make a key income generator for the rural household in the years to come. It is specially curated to support women earn in their leisure time.