Indian Railways is planning to run a ‘Khadi Express’ train to create awareness about khadi products, in line with PM Narendra Modi’s mission to promote use of khadi. Incidentally, the sale of khadi products rose over three-folds in the last three fiscal years, as per the state-run Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). According to a PTI report, ‘Khadi Express’ train will now be run by Indian Railways to create awareness about the segment. Vinai Kumar Saxena, KVIC, Chairman was quoted in the report saying that they have written a letter to Indian Railways for running a Khadi Express train which would exhibit khadi products associated with Mahatma Gandhi in view of his 150th birth anniversary.
The Khadi Express will be a five-bogie train and would also have the facility to sell khadi products to people. It will run through all those places in the country where Mahatma Gandhi had stayed. The train will be stationed at those places for one day each.
The khadi turnover was Rs 811 crore in 2014-15 and increased to Rs 2,509 crore in 2017-18, according to figures recorded by KVIC. The KVIC is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the Act of Parliament, ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’. Headquartered in Mumbai, it is now an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India.
The demand of khadi products significantly increased as Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself appealed to the people of the country to buy these clothes. Saxena added that the sale of khadi products grew at an average rate of 6.68 per cent per annum during 2004 to 2014, but in the last four years, it grew at a rate of 37 per cent. On October 2, khadi exhibitions were organised in 50 countries to create demand for such products which could be one of the reasons because of which the number of sales outlets for khadi products markedly increased to 1060 in the last four years.
The main purpose of the KVIC is to plan, promote, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.