National Khadi Fair cancelled in Jharkhand due to coronavirus

By

Maverick Martins

Published
Mar 12, 2020

The National Khadi and Saras Fair, scheduled to be held in the state of Jharkhand from March 21 to April 4, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus scare that has gripped the nation.
 

The 15-day annual event was called off following a circular issued by the Union government to contain the spread of the deadly virus by avoiding public gatherings.
 
Several fashion shows like the India Fashion Week, India Runway Week have also been cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus in the country.

“The decision had been taken in the wake of an advisory circulated by the Union government to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The advisory recommends avoiding big gatherings as a preventive measure to stop the spread of the virus. We are bound to follow that in public interest,” said state rural development secretary, Avinash Kumar.
 
The 15-day annual fair is organised to help boost khadi and village industries. The fair witnesses thousands of visitors and over 1,000 stalls are set up by artisans from across the country. It had generated sales of Rs 18 crore ($2.5 million) during the last edition of the fair in 2019.
 
Khadi, a traditional hand-spun textile, is extremely popular in the state of Jharkhand and has over 1.13 lakh registered artisans.