Aditya Birla group’s apparel arm, Madura Fashion and Lifestyle, has been served a show-cause notice by the government for announcing a new collection of clothes named Khadi, forcing the company to pull back its advertising campaign as well as delay unveiling the range under its Peter England brand.

According to the company the collection was inspired by the work of Indian craftsmen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly promoted the use of khadi. Modi had extolled the virtues of every Indian having at least one khadi garment in their wardrobe, in his first ever radio address to the nation in October 2014.

“If you buy khadi, you light the lamp of prosperity in the house of a poor person,” he had said on Mann ki Baat.

Taking cognisance of an advertisement for Peter England’s Khadi collection that appeared on January 26, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission under the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises has asked Madura Fashion to explain why it didn’t obtain a mandatory Khadi mark registration under the law, without which it cannot use the word Khadi.

Peter England’s spokeswoman confirmed the receipt of a notice from the commission regarding usage of the word Khadi. “We have withdrawn the advertising and we are in the process of responding to the notice.”

Source: The Hindu

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