“If you buy Khadi, you light the lamp of prosperity in the house of a poor person”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’ on October 3, 2014. Two years later, the sapling he had planted, is bearing fruits.

Khadi has since become a lifestyle phenomenon. From ‘the symbol of freedom’ Khadi now is ‘fashion trend’. Prime Minister’s appeal got instant huge response and growth of Khadi products went up almost 125 per cent till November, 2014. The issue is so close to his heart that he has touched the issue thrice during past two years.

PM Modi appeals again

On January 31, 2015 Prime Minister urged the nation to embrace Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy saying, “Khadi signified the culture of India. It has the power to provide employment to crores of people. It has now become a symbol and a centre of interest of the nation’s youth,” he said. Again, Khadi sales increased by over 60 per cent during next six months.
Modi touched the topic once again on September 25, 2016. He urged the people to buy Khadi products on this Gandhi Jayanti.

Growth of Khadi

Khadi and Village Industries Corporation (KVIC) feels Prime Minister’s exhortations this time too would bring a windfall for them. Former CEO of KVIC Arun Kumar Jha told SMEpost, “Khadi production in the country during the year 2015-16 reached Rs. 1065 crores which has generated employment for 11.07 lakh people.”

While the sales figures were on a decline in the first half of 2014-15 but after PM’s request, the figures witnessed a sudden jump in the second half of the year. Similarly, Khadi sale shot up by over 14% to Rs 37,935 crore during 2015-16.

Year	Growth of Khadi during past three years
Year	Production [Rs.in crore]	Sales [Rs.in crore]	Employment [in lakh persons]
2013-14	26109.08	31154.20	130.38
2014-15	27569.37	33135.90	134.25
2015-16 (Provisional)	28030.00	37935.00	139.07

Year	Export of Khadi & Village Industries items (Rs. in crore)
2013-14	114.58
2014-15	124.39
2015-16(P)	143.86

How it happens

KVIC bagged big orders from institutes like NTPC, Air India and IIT, Mumbai etc.These include 8 crore orders from Air India for the supply of 1,85,000 units of amenity kits. It has begged order for 23,000 sleeveless jackets for its employees which would generate revenue of Rs 5.34 crore.

Khadi sector also got support by Railways, Postal Department, Para Military Forces, Delhi Police, JK Cement.

In its quest to counter rapidly growing taste in the urban market KVIC is giving more thrust to the marketing possibilities. It maintains 7050 departmental sales outlets all over the country.

It may be recalled that Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi started a movement for Khadi in 1918 as relief programme for the poor living in the villages. Spinning and weaving was elevated to an ideology for self-reliance and self-government. Ever since, Khadi has been a trademark fashion style from common people to politician.