MSKVI drafts plan for revival of khadi industry

The Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries (MSKVI) board has drafted a detailed plan to revive home-based and village industries in the state. With an objective to provide employment to women while also increasing khadi sales, the plan focuses on women khadi weavers from Amravati and increasing khadi production through solar charkha.

Talking about boosting several home-based and village industries, deputy CEO of the MSKVI board Bipin Jagtap said, “Many of these products have for decades established the identity of the regions they are manufactured in. With the decline of these businesses, not just the identity of that region is lost but thousands of people associated with the industry lose employment too. Our aim is to boost these businesses, explore online market for these locally manufactured products and also make them available for international buyers.”

For the promotion of khadi and other village industries, the MSKVI board has been considering cluster development. Last year, 130 solar charkhas were distributed by the state government among Scheduled Caste women associated with Kasturba Mahila Bachat Gat, a self-help group in Amravati.

“Solar charkha is a technology innovation and a revolution in the khadi sector. This will not just help boost khadi production but also help out weavers,” said S Dalvi, who is associated with the Kasturba Mahila Bachat Gat, according to a news agency report.

“For the past many years, there has been a decline in the number of weavers associated with khadi, due to low wages, dearth of artisans, and less productivity. For quite some time, the area remained neglected, or we could say didn’t get as much attention as it required,” the report said quoting a MSKVI official.

The traditional hand spinning wheel fetches Rs 1,500-2,000 a month, but this amount can go up to Rs 8,000 per month using a solar charkha. Moreover, it is also environment-friendly.