New Delhi, Mar 10 (KNN) The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), successfully organised a national-level exhibition during the Mahakumbh from January 14 to February 27, 2025.
The exhibition achieved record-breaking sales of Khadi products worth Rs 12.02 crore.
Manoj Kumar, Chairman of KVIC, announced that the exhibition showcased 98 Khadi stalls and 54 village industry stalls, generating sales of Rs 9.76 crore in Khadi products and Rs 2.26 crore in village industry products.
As part of the ‘New Khadi for New India’ movement, Kumar distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states. The distribution was conducted via video conference from KVIC’s Rajghat office in Delhi.
Kumar highlighted the initiative’s alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of expanding the ‘Sweet Revolution’ across rural India. Under the ‘Honey Mission,’ KVIC has provided bee colonies and bee boxes to beekeepers, promoting beekeeping as a source of sustainable income.
Addressing artisans, Kumar recalled that in 2016, PM Modi, from Deesa in Banaskantha, Gujarat, had emphasised the importance of the ‘Sweet Revolution’ alongside the ‘White Revolution.’
In response, KVIC launched the ‘Honey Mission’ in 2017. Since then, over 20,000 beneficiaries have received two lakh bee boxes and bee colonies.
Highlighting the achievements of the Khadi sector over the past decade, Kumar revealed that sales of Khadi and village industry products have grown fivefold, reaching Rs 1,55,000 crore from Rs 31,000 crore. Khadi garment sales alone have surged sixfold, from Rs 1,081 crore to Rs 6,496 crore.
Additionally, 10.17 lakh new jobs were created in the last financial year, with a 213 per cent increase in artisans’ income. Notably, over 80 per cent of employment in the sector has been generated for women.
(KNN Bureau)
