The mango that broke a market
It is peak mango season in India. The Alphonso harvest is at its richest, the Kesar at its most fragrant.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is progressing towards becoming a developed nation. When the centenary of India’s independence is celebrated, khadi will play a vital role in it. Khadi and Village Industries is becoming a powerful platform for millions of weavers, he said.
Shah was interacting with artisans at the Khadi Mahotsav held at the Maharshi Dayanand University campus in Rohtak on Friday.
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The Union Minister also virtually inaugurated PMEGP units, a Central Wool Processing Plant, and Khadi and Village Industries buildings, including the newly constructed office and warehouse of KVIC in Panchkula, Haryana.
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Union Minister Shah remarked that after independence, previous governments paid no attention to khadi and completely neglected Khadi and Village Industries. He said that when Prime Minister Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he pledged to develop khadi and worked to revive KVIC.
He said that because of the Prime Minister’s interest in khadi and his connection with the weavers, the khadi business under the Modi government has grown from Rs 33,000 crore to Rs 1.70 lakh crore in just 11 years.
Shah emphasized that the benefits of this increased turnover have gone to the weavers of the country, not any capitalist or private industrialist. He added that KVIC has now developed excellent packaging and marketing systems. Speaking at the event, he expressed happiness in distributing 12 types of modern machines, including automatic charkhas, leather machines, and also margin money to the weavers.
The Minister said that the vision of Swaraj at the time of independence was incomplete without Swadeshi and Swabhasha.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, while welcoming Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shah on his arrival in the state, said that khadi is our heritage, and khadi products are moving rapidly from local to global.
He said that Khadi and Village Industries have now become a strong medium for a self-reliant India. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, khadi has achieved unprecedented growth and is gaining recognition at the international level.
He described the Khadi Mahotsav as a celebration of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, driven by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister said that such programmes and the support of the central government will further accelerate khadi-related activities in Haryana. He urged the public to adopt the Prime Minister’s slogan “Buy Indian, Build India” and support khadi.
Speaking on the development of khadi and indigenous products, he recalled how there was a time when khadi was only associated with freedom, but today, under Prime Minister Modi’s visionary leadership and the efforts of Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, khadi has become the most powerful medium of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The Chief Minister stated the government’s commitment that by the year 2047, when India becomes a developed nation, Haryana’s economy will be worth one trillion dollars, and khadi and MSMEs will play a commendable role in achieving that goal, he said.
The Union Minister, along with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, distributed modern machines, toolkits and margin money worth Rs 301 crore under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), encouraging artisans to move towards self-reliance through Swadeshi.
At the Khadi Mahotsav, Chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Manoj Kumar said that khadi is no longer just a symbol of tradition and Swadeshi, but has also become a medium of fashion and self-reliance for the youth. He said Khadi is not only creating employment in rural areas, but is also playing a key role in empowering women.
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