Yogi govt to launch exclusive 'UP Khadi' outlets across state, target youth

UP has signed MoUs totalling Rs 300 bn with companies in the Khadi sector

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday announced it will launch exclusive 'UP Khadi' outlets across the state to market the indigenous fabric among the fashion conscious and ethnic connoisseurs, especially the youth.

Earlier, the state had roped in e-commerce giant Amazon to market UP Khadi globally. At the UP Investors Summit 2018, the government had signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 300 billion with private companies across the entire khadi value chain, starting from manufacturing to retailing.

The chain of 'UP Khadi Plazas' would be launched under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, UP MSME and Khadi Minister Satyadev Pachauri said in Lucknow.

The Adityanath government will sign an MoU with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for exploring means to utilise solar energy for creating jobs, such as using solar charkhas for weaving Khadi fabric. UNEP coordinates environmental activities and assists developing countries in implementing environmentally complaint practices.  

Meanwhile, UP is organising a mega 'Khadi Expo 2018' on December 6-9 in Lucknow. The expo would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union MSME Minister Giriraj Singh in the presence of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena.

A high-octane fashion show will also be organised in collaboration with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Rae Bareli, MSME chamber Indian Industries Association (IIA), and leading women magazine Femina. 

"We will distribute loans totalling Rs 1.50 billion to Khadi units, apart from interest wavier certificates to sick units, who had taken loans from financial institutions in the past," Pachauri informed.

The UP Khadi department will also sign an MoU with refinancing agency National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and Harit Khadi for facilitating marketing of Khadi value-added products.

"We aim to integrate Khadi with employment creation. Over the past one-and-half-years, we have helped almost 64,000 people gain employment through our various schemes," he added.

Meanwhile, Khadi Principal Secretary Navneet Sehgal informed Business Standard that the government was setting up a Khadi Park in the Kanpur Dehat district before the end of this financial year. It will be modelled on Jharkhand's maiden Khadi Park, which was launched in January 2018 at Amda village in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district near Jamshedpur. It is aimed at promoting Khadi and arresting the migration of people in search of jobs.

The state government is also reviving government-run blanket units in UP at Bhadohi, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Bijnore and Mirzapur, he informed.

The Adityanath government has been striving to position 'UP Khadi' as an exclusive and up-market brand to attract traction among the youth. It is also being encouraged as a rural employment generator.

Last year, the state government had unveiled its Khadi policy to promote the sector, attract private investment and boost the income of artisans, especially in rural areas. The sector is also being promoted under the state's flagship One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.