India’s multi-hued ethnicity, cultural diversity, colourful weaves and traditional crafts have come under one roof at the Khadi India pavilion at the India International Trade Fair 2021. The Khadi India pavilion, depicting the theme of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, was inaugurated by Minister of MSME Shri Narayan Rane in presence of Minister of State for MSME Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Chairman KVIC Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena and Secretary MSME Shri BB Swain.
The Khadi India pavilion comprises 50 stalls set up by Khadi artisans and Khadi institutions from 20 states and union territories, showcasing the finest handcrafted Khadi and Village Industry products. KVIC has given top priority to women artisans giving 18 (36%) of the total stalls to women. 10 of these stalls have been set up by artisans of Delhi while Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka have 5 stalls each.
A selfie point with Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the centre of attraction at Khadi’s theme pavilion at Hall No. 7D of Pragati Maidan. The theme pavilion also depicts the core areas of Khadi, i.e. rural economy, technology, infrastructure, youth participation and global outreach, as five pillars of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
Shri Rane lauded the KVIC for its employment generation initiatives. He said, KVIC is doing excellent work by creating self-employment across the country and thereby strengthening the rural economy.
Chairman KVIC Shri Saxena said, the Khadi products on display in the Khadi India pavilion symbolize Swadeshi and India’s stride towards self-reliance, particularly in the post-Covid scenario. He said, Khadi is the biggest symbol of swadeshi. The sheer variety of Khadi and Village Industry products being displayed at the IITF indicates the strengthening of India’s domestic manufacturing sector and the rural economy.
Live demonstration of Pashmina weaving, pottery making, beekeeping, handmade paper making, Agarbatti making, footwear making, etc. is being done at the Khadi India pavilion to educate and motivate youths to take up self-employment activities. A special facilitation desk will also guide the budding entrepreneurs about setting up manufacturing / service units under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP).
A range of premium Khadi fabric like Muslin of West Bengal, Pashmina from Jammu & Kashmir, Patola silk of Gujarat, Banarasi Silk, Bhagalpuri Silk, Phulkari art of Punjab, Kalamkari of Andhra Pradesh and several other varieties of cotton, silk and wool fabric are at display at the Khadi pavilion. A wide range of village industry products like the innovative Khadi Prakritik Paint made of cow dung, leather goods, premium varieties of honey, cosmetics, handcrafted tribal jewellery, bamboo products from Assam, herbal medicines, papad, dry fruits, etc. are attracting the visitors. Eco-friendly agarbatti made from waste flowers collected from temples too attracted a large number of visitors.
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