RANCHI: In a first-of-its-kind attempt to promote Khadi in Jharkhand, more than 40,000 students in government schools across the state will soon don uniforms made of the fabric. The uniforms are being designed and prepared by the Jharkhand Khadi and Village Industries Board (JKVIB) and Jharcraft, a state government undertaking, and are likely to get circulated later this year, according to senior officials familiar with the project.
JKVIB Chairman Sanjay Seth said work on the uniforms started after Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced earlier in the month that students would get uniforms made of khadi in order to elevate the market for the product and provide a boost to the cottage industry in the state. Under the plan, JKVIB and Jharcraft will work jointly to enroll government schools with their respective boards and uniforms will be supplied to each student of these schools in a time-bound manner.
Seth added that the project is also a way to generate employment for women trained by the JKVIB. “We have already started working in this direction where more than 40,000 students will be provided khadi uniforms prepared by women trained by the State Khadi Board. Everything from weaving to processing and stitching will be done by the women trained by us,” he said.
Seth said that around 1,000 women were trained every year at the training centres set up by JKVIB. These women are given a stipend of `150 per day and a sewing machine worth `20,000 at a discounted price of `5,000 so that they may start a business on their own. Though many of them get jobs in textile industries, there are several who are still not able to find work for various reasons.
“This project will provide an opportunity to those women for honing their skills by stitching uniforms for school students,” said Seth. The objective is to provide a market for products prepared by these women, self-promotion and to motivate them, the JKVIB chief added.“Considering the engagement of women in the khadi industry, this specific endeavour will not just give a thrust to a cottage industry waiting for a revival across the state, but will also help in making khadi a household name,” said Seth.