
The sale on Gandhi Jayanti at Khadi Bhawan (Connaught Place) has crossed INR 1.52 crore, breaking its previous year’s record of INR 1.34 crore. The flagship Khadi Bhawan at Connaught Place witnessed the highest-ever sale of Khadi and Village Industries products worth INR 1,52,45,000 crore, KVIC said.
The Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Manoj Kumar, attributed the surge in Khadi sales to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent appeal during the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. Kumar noted that the Prime Minister's appeal had a significant impact on the public, making Khadi a symbol of self-reliant India.
Kumar also highlighted that the remarkable increase in Khadi and Village Industries product sales reflects a deep connection people have with Khadi. In the fiscal year 2021-22, sales amounted to INR 1.01 crore were recorded, which saw a rise to INR 1.34 crore in 2022-23. In the current financial year, sales have exceeded INR 1.52 crore, setting a new record, he added.
On Gandhi Jayanti, Kumar had inaugurated a Khadi India outlet at the IIT Delhi campus with an aim to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion, and Khadi for Transformation’. Along with launching the new outlet, Kumar had also unveiled the new collection of apparel designed by the Centre of Excellence for Khadi (CoEK) in collaboration with Khadi Institutions.
The Ministry of MSME initiated the creation of CoEK to collaborate with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) with an aim to develop youth-centric designs and expand into international markets.
A new apparel range has been created to make khadi attractive and to appeal to young audiences by introducing vibrant colours and interesting silhouettes. Khadi Institutions have been guided by the CoEK team to carry out quality and standardized production of nine styles of apparel for retail through the IIT outlet. This outlet will be the first to initiate the wave of presenting khadi in a new narrative.
On the occasion, a month-long ‘Khadi Mahotsav’ was also announced by the Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane to support the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative and the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.
The Union Minister had highlighted the achievements of the Khadi and Village Industry (KVI) sector with the fourfold growth in the sales, reaching INR 1,34,629.91 crore in FY 2022-23 compared to INR 33,135.90 crore in FY 2014-15, showing an increase of 306.29 per cent.
KVI production has also witnessed a significant growth, exceeding threefold, with INR 95,956.67 crore recorded in FY 2022-23 compared to INR 27,569.37 crore in FY 2014-15, reflecting an impressive increase of 248.05 per cent, the Minister had noted.