PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat: Khadi not a cloth, but a movement to help the poor

Khadi and Village Industries Commission is a statutory organisation engaged in promoting and developing Khadi and village industries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday referred to Khadi not as a cloth but a "movement" which should be taken forward as a campaign.

"I had earlier mentioned that Khadi was not a cloth but a movement which should be taken forward," Modi said in the 36th edition of his monthly radio programme, "Mann Ki Baat".

Stating that he has observed a surge in the people's interest towards Khadi, the Prime Minister said that the sale of the fabric has also increased due to which the employment among poor people has seen a rise.

"We must work towards lighting lamps in the houses of people engaged in the Khadi industry this Diwali.

"The Khadi ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi was defunct for the last 26 years, however, it has now been revived," Modi added.

He further termed Khadi as a philosophy.

 

This Gandhi Jayanti, let us buy a Khadi product and bring prosperity in the lives of the poor. #MannKiBaat https://t.co/XRu2jOOaFg

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2017

 The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), is a statutory organisation engaged in promoting and developing Khadi and village industries created by the Act of Parliament.

Khadi refers to a hand-spun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a charkha, a traditional spinning implement. Khadi was launched in 1920 as a political weapon in the Swadeshi movement of Mahatma Gandhi.

Khadi is sourced from different parts of India, depending upon its raw materials - While the silk variety is sourced from West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and North Eastern states, the cotton variety comes from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Khadi poly is spun in Gujarat and Rajasthan while Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir karnataka are known for the woolen variety.

Any Industry that is located within a rural area, where the fixed capital investment per artisan (weaver) does not exceed Rs. one lakh is designated a village industry. The fixed capital investment can be changed by the Centre as and when required.

The relevance of Khadi and Village Industries is that they are both labour intensive in nature. In the wake of industrialization, and the mechanization of almost all processes, Khadi and Village industries are suited like no other to a labour surplus country like India.

Another advantage of Khadi and Village Industries is that they require little or no capital to set up, thereby making them an economically viable option for the rural poor. This is an important point with reference to India in view of its stark income, regional and rural/urban inequalities.

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission has a social objective of providing employment in rural areas; an economic objective of providing saleable articles and a wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit through various schemes and programs.

Mann Ki Baat is an apolitical and interactive broadcast focusing on welfare and well-being of the people.