Khadi activities got a major push in the year 2020 – a year that largely remained affected due to the Covid-19 lockdown – thanks to a huge purchase order worth ₹48.90 crore from the Indian Railways. While the railways purchased Khadi goods worth ₹8.48 crore in December 2020 alone, it substantially created employment and income for Khadi artisans during the testing times of Covid-19.
The purchase orders from Indian Railways directly benefited artisans registered with 82 Khadi Institutions across India. These artisans are engaged in the production of sheeting cloth, towels, bedsheets, flag banners, sponge-clothes, Dosuti Cotton Khadi, bunting clothes etc.
In the period from May 2020 to December 2020 (till December 21), Indian Railways procured Khadi material worth ₹48.90 crore, which kept Khadi activities going during the pandemic. Interestingly, Indian Railways purchased goods worth ₹19.80 crore from Khadi institutions in the months of May and June despite the economy having taken a severe hit due to the lockdown. Subsequently, the railways procured Khadi goods worth ₹7.42 crore in July and August, whereas it purchased Khadi products worth ₹13.01 crore in the months of October and November.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena thanked the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for supporting Khadi artisans by placing large orders with the KVIC. “During the pandemic, KVIC faced the biggest challenge of sustaining employment and livelihood of the artisans. While KVIC engaged its artisans in making Khadi masks during the pandemic, it simultaneously received bulk orders from the railways too that kept Khadi’s spinning wheel on the move. This meant additional employment and income for the artisans which helped them overcome the financial distress and support the country’s economy,” Saxena said.
Apart from supporting Khadi through direct purchases, Indian Railways has also implemented policy decisions to strengthen Khadi artisans. In one such move, the Railways has designated 400 railway stations where only earthenware is used for selling food and beverages to passengers, thus giving a major employment and earnings boost to the potters trained by KVIC under the Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana. The Ministry of Railways is in the process of notifying another 100 railway stations as “Plastic-free Stations”.
(Published from PIB)