KVIC to set up 'Khadi Villages' across the country: Saxena

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) today announced to set up five 'Khadi Villages' each in all the states to make the rural population self reliant in order to stop their migration into cities.
According to KVIC chairman V K Saxena, khadi and related industry is the best way to uplift the economic condition of poor people living in villages.
"KVIC is working on a project of setting up five Khadi Villages in each state within one year. This will make villagers self reliant and it would also stop migration of rural population into cities," said Saxena on the sidelines of a function here today.

Under this project, interested villagers will be given charkhas (spinning wheels), looms and other equipments required to set up small scale industries, such as candles, incense sticks, honeybee cultivation, bakery, etc.
"We will identify five villages each in every state and then train the beneficiaries to carry out that business, which requires very less investment. Under this initiative, they will be able to sell their own products in the village through a sales outlet," said Saxena.
According to him, KVIC is taking several initiatives to increase the sale of khadi, which today stands under one per cent among the total textile sale in the country.

"In the last financial year (2015-16), khadi sale stood at Rs 1,510 crore. This year(2016-17), we expect to achieve a turnover between Rs 1,900 crore to Rs 2,000 crore. We have set a target of achieving Rs 5000 crore in next two years," said Saxena.
He also added that KVIC is in talks with the Gujarat government to supply khadi for police uniform.
"We are in talks with Gujarat government to supply khadi for police uniform. We have also urged many other state government to buy our khadi for that purpose. We are taking many such steps to increase the sale of khadi," he added.