The mission of Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has been to promote Khadi as a global fabric as well as help it generate employment all across the country.

More advanced production techniques, better designers and reaching even the most inaccessible areas of the country are all a part of KVIC’s plan to make Khadi a resounding success. V K Saxena, Chairman, KVIC spoke to ET on how their mission is also to remove any myths associated with the Khadi fabric and make it popular among the youth. Excerpts: 

Economic Times (ET): As per the MSME Ministry Data, Khadi sales have grown 30% in the last 4 years as against 6.7% previously. What is the biggest driver? What is the target this fiscal?

V K Saxena (VKS): From 2004 - 2014, the growth of Khadi was just 6.68%. In fact, the previous governments have not given any due importance to Khadi. The current government has focused on Khadi because it can create employment at the doorstep and that too with a very minimum investment. That’s why the Modi government is focusing on this. From 2015-16 and 18-19, the average growth of Khadi is around 28%, which is definitely a very big jump. In ‘18-19, our turnover was Rs 3215 crore, which is a huge difference. The reason behind this growth is aggressive marketing and the support of the government and approaching corporates to join hands with us, which has also given a big boost to Khadi. 

We are trying to achieve around Rs 5000 crore in this financial year. With the new minister who has a new vision about Khadi, I am sure we will achieve this target. 

ET: What are the diverse Initiatives that KVIC is looking at to boost Khadi sales?

VKS: We are planning exhibitions in foreign countries which will definitely boost the sale. Second, in local areas as well, we are trying to hold exhibitions. They are very important for local people. For example, in local part of the country where they can’t go and buy Khadi, these exhibitions help them. Aggressively we are trying to do exhibitions in all parts of the country which will also help. Second thing is design intervention. We are trying to attract youth. 

The youth is very important - if they start adopting Khadi, it will fly. So we are approaching schools, colleges, industries and we are propagating about the importance of Khadi. It is not just a fabric. It is very important even for the environment. Today, youth is very concerned about the environment so we are teaching them why Khadi is important. Manufacturing of one metre of Khadi requires just 3 litre of water as against 56 litre of water for mill fabric. Secondly, it is zero carbon footprint because it is hand spun and hand woven. We are trying to educate people on these points. 

ET: How much have the exports of Khadi scaled up since the last few years and what is the potential in this segment?

VKS: There is a lot of potential for export of Khadi and last year export was not much - it was Rs 250 crore only. But the problem is very different. There is huge demand for Khadi, but we are not able to segregate. Right now Khadi comes under textile and it is not a separate HS code - because of that we are not able to identify how much Khadi has been exported. These proposals are pending with the government and very soon we will get a separate HS code for Khadi and then the exports will also grow. 

Also, because of the apathy of previous governments, several institutions have taken Khadi mark registrations in Western countries. They have obtained patents on Khadi and we are fighting these institutions in various countries, particularly in European countries. So in these countries we are not able to export because of these problems. So this is a big challenge. This year we will definitely aspire to grow 30% more in exports. Lot of Khadi is right now going under textile category. We will get to know how much Khadi fabric has gone once there is a separate HS code. 

ET: What are some of the issues that plague the Khadi sector - how are you able to make it more relevant for a contemporary audience?

VKS: We have appointed young designers from NIFT and other institutions. Apart from that, we have a panel of designers who are designing as per the needs of the market. And a very important decision that we have taken is that we have appointed a big company who is stitching all the materials for us. It is cost effective and are flawless materials that we are supplying. This has also given a lot of boost to KVIC and Khadi. 

There were some issues regarding fake Khadi stores and companies selling mill made fabric as Khadi. That we have handled and given legal notice to more than 500 such institutions and now they have stopped doing this.. That has also increased the sale of Khadi. 

We are reaching the remotest part of the country for example, in Leh, Ladakh we have opened centres. In Assam - Kaziranga also we did set up centres. So we are reaching the remotest parts of the country and there is a good response because these people need employment and want to engage themselves and Khadi has that potential. 

ET: Amid reports of unemployment on the rise, do you think Khadi has the potential to provide greater levels of employment and address this core issue of the economy?

VKS: We have several schemes. Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a flagship scheme. Through this scheme alone, we have created more than 20 lakh jobs. Apart from that through Khadi, we create employment through Charkha, looms and other equipments. During the last four years, we have distributed more than 35,000 charkhas, 6000 looms. Apart from that there is a Honey Mission through which we have created more than 11,000 employment. We provide bee boxes to farmers and unemployed youth, which provide a minimum income of Rs 50,000 annually, which is an additional income. 

Solar charkha is a unique machine which we provide. The best part of this solar charkha is that it reduces drudgery. When you are spinning through normal charkha, a lot of labour is required. In a day, maximum a woman can make is 20-25 hangs. That means her income will be Rs 200 per day. Through solar charkha, a minimum of 45 hangs can be made in a day so her income is more than doubled. That’s why solar charkhas have been very popular. This year Solar Charkha mission will be implemented where we will create employment in villages. So it is a massive project which we will implement this year. 

Through all the varied schemes, total employment created by KVIC in the last five years has been more than 21 lakh approximately. 

ET: Please shed more light on SFURTI and the kind of support it extends to MSMEs.

VKS: SFURTI means where we have to develop clusters. In one cluster, we create around 1000 employment of the local people. It takes time as it is a long drawn process. Last year, more than 30 clusters were sanctioned which we are implementing. One cluster in AP is going to create employment for more than 3,000 women in that area. 

ET: What kind of reinvention is taking place to promote Khadi as a global fabric?

VKS: The USP of Khadi is hand-spun and hand-woven. Today, there is a huge demand for products that are handmade. Similarly Khadi has unique qualities. Last financial year, we exhibited our products in 10 countries and after the success of these, an exhibition was held in October in 50 countries. So 60 countries have been given exposure of Khadi in the last financial year and responses were tremendous. So there is a lot of potential. Also, for their atmospheric temperature, Khadi is the most suitable fabric. Khadi is a big brand now and everyone is now aware about Khadi. 

ET: In what way will KVIC be working in conjunction with the new government to uplift the MSME sector and address their core issues?

VKS: MSME is a huge sector and has a lot of scope. Several things are under process. We have prepared a blueprint for 100 days implementation and in 100 days, we are going to create a lot of employment. Very fast development will be seen in the coming days. 

In Khadi production, we have given different targets. Similarly, in sales also there are targets to grow more than 30%. These are the things which will create employment very quickly and the benefits also will come by soon enough. 

Published On : 28-06-2019

Source : Economic Times