To give a distinct identity to khadi, promoted by Mahatma Gandhi to counter Western fabric, President Pranab Mukherjee, launched the Khadi Mark here on Monday.
The launch of Khadi Mark on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Wednesday will ensure that no textile can be sold or otherwise traded by any person or institution as Khadi or Khadi product in any form or manner without it bearing a Khadi Mark tag, sticker or label, according to the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises.
“The mark is expected to provide a much needed identity to Khadi as an assurance of purity and genuineness to customers to boost its sale, as a part of the ongoing reform measures in the sector to reinvest it in keeping with the changing times,” the Ministry said.
The MSME Ministry has already notified the Khadi Mark Regulations 2013 in the Gazette of India on July 22, 2013 to ensure the genuineness of Khadi i.e. hand spun and hand woven, containing natural fibres (cotton/wool/silk), produced in India.
Speaking at the occasion, the President said Khadi was synonymous with India’s freedom struggle, both as a symbol of self-reliance and a credible instrument for rejuvenation of the rural sector.”
At present, there are around 10.45 lakh Khadi artisans of which 70 per cent are women, working for about 2,300 Khadi Institutions across the country.
The MSME Minister, K.H Muniyappa, said Khadi production during 2012-13 had been worth Rs 762 crore.
He said under the Khadi Reform Development Programme, direct assistance to 300 existing Khadi institutions.