Known for natural lustre and rough texture, Khadi strands of late have turned
livewire in more ways than one, due to increasing footfalls at khadi, growing sales and demands for technological upgradation, decent payment and working environs to weavers and bridling cost of the fibre. Debates veer around whirring wheels of Charkhas. Leading from the front, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had launched Khadi promotion blitz in his talk shows on radio, waves a year ago, says the sales have almost doubled and more and more people purchase Khadi items now. Disputing the government’s claims, many say hype was being created by raising bogey of sales. Khadi and village industries top rung officials, keeping track of its sales and purchases across the country, wave ledgers to assert that purchases might be even higher than what had been collated by them so far. In “Mann ki Baat” last year, Mr Modi had called upon people to buy at least one Khadi garment. He recently recalled the appeal had made an impact and sales have almost doubled and said it was not accomplished through advertisements, but it is the manifestation of immense power of masses and “what an experience”. He made it clear that he was not asking people to become totally “Khaddhar dhari ” but everyone must purchase some item of Khadi in coming Diwali. Mr Modi added that Khadi rebate programme, which starts on October 2 for a month, must be encashed by all and they should also patronise handlooms.
The Khadi craze was evident on this year October 2 when outlets across the country clocked one day sale of Rs.20 crore. As a mark of obeisance to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, 48 offices of Khadi and Village Industries Commission remained open and 7050 sales outlets made brisk sales. The Khadi Bhandar at Regal building, here, touched sales worth Rs.80 lakh on the Gandhi Jayanti day.
This has resulted in growth of Khadi sales and consequent growth in production. Union Minister for MSME Kalraj Mishra said that after the PM's appeal, growth in sales rocketed to a 17.55% from October 2014 to March 2015, which is an almost three fold increase when compared to the previous corresponding period. After the appeal, growth in production increased by almost 6 times to 31.1% from October 2014 to March 2015 over the previous corresponding period. In 2014-15, Khadi production has reached Rs. 880 crore registering an increase of around 8.5% over 2013-14.
CEO and Commissioner, KVIC, Arun Kumar Jha says the sale of the Khadi Gram Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi, the departmental flagship outlet of the KVIC increased around 125 per cent in subsequent fortnight soon after the PM’s talk show.The total increase in sales during the period from October 2014 to March 2015 was around 68 per cent in value terms. The sale of Khadi which was at Rs.5.47 crore during the period October 2013 to March 2014 jumped to Rs.9.19 crore. According to him, the sale of readymade items of Khadi Gram Udyog Bhawan,Connaught place, increased phenomenally and the increase was around 86 per cent. All India sale of Khadi which was Rs.581crore during the period October,2013 to March,2014 jumped to Rs.750 crore during the period of October 2014 to March 2015. The increase was around 31 per cent upto March alone
According to official sources, the government introduced Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme giving full flexibility to the Khadi Institutions to organise their production & sales activity in the best way they considered appropriate. The MDA provided much needed boost to the Khadi programme. The government provided Rs. 324.64 crore for supporting Khadi Institutions (KIs) under various schemes during 2014-15 which is an increase of around 36% over and above the support provided by the Govt. in the preceding year i.e. 2013-14 which stood around Rs. 239.17 crore.
Khadi, officials say, the proud legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and potent tool of national freedom, is “ethical as well as ethnic”adding its USP is natural, hand crafted, eco-friendly, bio-degradable and non-exploitive fibre. It is a cloth woven by hand using handspun yarn only. Natural fibres namely cotton, wool and silk are used in the production. Khadi is identified by the direction of twist in yarn.In Khadi yarn twist direction is “S”. Usually it is called left twist or anti- clockwise twist.
Currently,there are 1.42 lakh weavers and 8.62 lakh spinners in the country and many demand decent returns to their skills. An estimate says that 9.60 lakh charkhas and 1.51 lakh looms churn out Khadi. Delhi University Professor of Mathematics, Vinod Tyagi, who still weaves Khadi on charkha and gives company to his mother in this task, says that the Khadi items have become “very costly” and the price of a dhoti is like “ladies’ decent cotton dhoti”.
Photo Courtsey : PIB |
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