Amit Shah highlights revival of Khadi, says turnover grew to Rs 1.70 lakh crore under Modi government
Rohtak, October 3. Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that while the Congress neglected Khadi after independence, the current government has revived it, leading to a remarkable increase in the turnover of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission from Rs 33,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1.70 lakh crore at present. He was addressing the ‘Khadi Karigar Mahotsav’ in Rohtak, where he emphasized that the scale of Khadi’s business today surpasses that of many large companies.
As per agency report, Shah targeted the Congress for failing to focus on Khadi or promote it effectively after independence. He noted that the Narendra Modi government took several initiatives over the past 11 years to promote Khadi. According to him, if such steps had been taken soon after independence, India would not have faced the problem of unemployment. Recalling history, he said Mahatma Gandhi had used Khadi as a tool to fight poverty and promote self-reliance during the freedom movement. Gandhi’s efforts in the Khadi sector, Shah said, transformed the lives of millions of weavers across the country and gave momentum to the struggle for independence through the ‘Khadi mantra’.
Shah recalled that when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he resolved to revive Khadi. Later, as Prime Minister, he spread the message of using Khadi through his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, inspiring citizens to adopt it in their daily lives. Highlighting the impact of these efforts, Shah said effective systems for marketing and packaging were developed, and people were encouraged to view Khadi not just as clothing but as a symbol of swadeshi and self-reliance.
During the event, over 2,200 artisans were provided with tool kits at Maharshi Dayanand University. The programme, organised by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, carried the theme ‘From Swadeshi to Self-Reliance’. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was also present on the occasion. Additionally, modern machinery and tool kits were distributed, and Rs 301 crore was released as margin money under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).
