Union Government to bring Khadi to malls, increase production

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Feb 7, 2018

​In the near future, many large format retail stores across India could have dedicated spaces for selling handloom Khadi garments, as part of a government-backed project.

Aiming to increase the income of artisans, especially in rural areas, and to increase domestic textile production, the government is rolling out another initiative for Khadi.

The Khadi textile has already been made GST exempt and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched 'Khadi Corners' across Globus stores, which are comprised of areas dedicated to clothing and lifestyle items made from Khadi. The textile has also become strongly linked to the government’s “Make in India” campaign and more and more designers are championing the textile.

The next step in the government’s plan to promote Khadi will be to convert 800 villages to 'Khadi clusters', according to the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Giriraj Singh, who recently held a press conference on the subject.

This will generate rural employment and increase Khadi production to create a volume high enough to supply malls across India.

The MSME has spoken to around 30 multi-brand retail chains, including Big Bazaar and Pantaloons, about the possibility of collaborating on the project. The MSME Secretary, Arun Kumar Panda, said: "The outcome is that for the first time, you will see exclusive Khadi corners with designer Khadi products in many of these retail chains, which will add value. In the process this will also help the artisans."

As the 2018/2019 Budget also focuses on rural employment and domestic production, this year could see Khadi become a widely worn textile in India.