Khadi Bhavan gets a New Look

The refurbished Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan was inaugurated by Shri K H Muniyappa, Minister of State(Independent Charge) for Micro Small & Medium Enterprises and Shri Devendra Kumar R. Desai, Chairman, Khadi & Village Industries Commission here today.

The Khadi Bhavan fulfilling its socio-economic responsibility procures quality products from institutions recognised by KVIC and other units financed and supported by Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme, a flagship endeavour of the Ministry of MSME. Six hundred institutions, units and entrepreneurs supplying varieties of Khadi fabrics, village industries products, handicrafts and cosmetics etc. are proposed to be increased to two thousand along with the product range from seven hundred to two thousand. Efforts are being made to increase the turnover of the Khadi Bhavan from Rs.32 crore to Rs 100 crore.

The MSME Ministry is implementing a comprehensive reform package for the khadi sector. The Khadi Reform and Development Programme (KRDP), which includes up gradation and capacity building of 300 khadi institutions and improved marketing with financial assistance of Rs. 950 crore. Steps are also being taken to distribute 1 lakh modern Chrakhas for better productivity to the artisans and also new handlooms to various Khadi sansthans under the KRDP.

Giving a distinct identity to Khadi, the Ministry recently notified Khadi Mark Regulations 2013, which empowers KVIC to provide Khadi Mark by laying down standards of assurance and by authorizing the use of Khadi Mark. A suitable Khadi Mark Logo has been developed by KVIC, which symbolizes Charkha Signifying hand spinning which is the essence of not only Khadi cloth but also Gandhian values and environment friendly nature of the product.

Available at the Khadi Bhavan is wide range of silk and cotton sarees, varieties of silk like Mulberry, tassar, muga, and eri, woollen and pashmina shawls with Kashmiri embroidery, jackets, coats and large number of ready to wear garments in cotton, wool, silk and poly Khadi.

Wide range of herbal products including cosmetics, eatables, leather belts, wallets purses, handmade paper products, honey and handicrafts on brass, soft stone, and semi precious jewellery are also available.

Those interested in Gandhian Literature can also find large number of books written by Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent writers.

It noteworthy that the ambience and the environment of the Bhavan is not only customer friendly but the products displayed here and available for sale are of good quality and ecofriendly.

On the occasion a documentary film on the history of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan was also released.

The four floors Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan housed in Regal Building has been renovated and refurbished with the cost of around Rs. 12.19 crore through the Village Industries (VI) Grant under the Ministry of MSME.

Present on the occasion were Shri Madhav Lal, Secretary, Ministry of MSME and Members KVIC - Shri Jainandu (Eastern Zone), Shri Desh Raj Gautam (Northern Zone), Shri K. C. Kalappa (Southern Zone), Shri Indresh Vikram Singh (Central Zone), Shri Sharif Uz-Zaman Laskar (North Eastern Zone), Dr. Deepak Tyagi (Expert Member – Marketing), Prof. L. R. Verma (Expert Member - Science & Technology), Dr. Vibha Gupta (Expert Member - Rural Development), Shri Bhupal Singh (Expert Member - Human Resources Development), Shri. D. C. Pattanayak (Financial Adviser), Shri Uday Pratap Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Shri B. H. Anil Kumar, Joint Secretary (ARI), Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, State Bank of India.

Khadi Mark regulation establishes identity and quality assurance, empowering authorized use and supporting Khadi sector reforms. Refurbishment of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan was completed with Village Industries grant funding; procurement is focused on KVIC recognised institutions and units supported under employment generation programmes, with targets to expand suppliers, product range and turnover. The Ministry is implementing the Khadi Reform and Development Programme to upgrade institutions, provide marketing support, and distribute modern charkhas and handlooms to improve productivity. The Khadi Mark Regulations establish standards and empower KVIC to authorize use of a Khadi Mark logo for identity and assurance of origin.