Khadi sales: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 106th edition of the monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, highlighted the growth in demand and popularity of khadi over the recent years. PM Modi noted that the annual khadi sales grew from Rs 30,000 crore in the financial year 2013-14 to reaching nearly Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

“The rise in the sale of Khadi means its benefit reaches myriad sections across cities and villages. Benefiting from these sales are our weavers, handicraft artisans, farmers, and cottage industries engaged in growing Ayurvedic plants, everyone is getting the benefit of this sale… and this is the strength of the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign… gradually, the support of all you countrymen is increasing,” said PM Modi.

During his address, he also mentioned the single-day record sales of the Khadi India store at Connaught Place, New Delhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti this year, breaching the Rs 1.5 crore mark from its previous year’s record from the previous year.

Importantly, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), the Khadi development and promotion body of the government, had reported a 332 per cent growth in sales in the last nine years. According to an earlier statement by KVIC, the turnover had increased from Rs 31,354 crores in 2013-14 to Rs 1.34 lakh crore in 2022-23, registering over a three-fold increase.

The production of khadi products had also increased from Rs 26,109 crore in FY14 to Rs 95,957 crore in FY23, a jump of 268 per cent, as per an earlier statement by KVIC.

According to the KVIC data, the growth in demand and supply of khadi and village Industries products led to 9.54 lakh new jobs in villages during FY23, as compared to 5.62 lakh new employment opportunities in FY14, an increase of over 70 per cent.

KVIC is the nodal promotional, developmental and organising body that works to generate employment, produce saleable products, and strengthen the villages by self-reliance and promotion of local industries such as khadi products and other village-associated products such as honey, coir (coconut), etc. The organization also helps with the execution of various government initiatives and schemes such as the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), among others.