BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Manoj Kumar said financial assistance and infrastructural support amounting to around Rs 36 crore have been provided to bolster the sector in Odisha in the last one decade.
Emphasising the importance of supporting indigenous industries, he said, Odisha is known for its Sambalpuri, Ikat, Bomkai silk, Berhampuri Patta, and Nuapatna silk sarees, each representing unique weaving techniques, intricate designs, and vibrant colours entrenched in cultural heritage.
“Looking at the immense opportunities, KVIC is ready to harness the regional opportunities for the benefit of our artisans. The increase in wages of artisans by more than 233 per cent in the last nine years has attracted the artisans towards khadi work,” he said.
Reiterating on immense support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the KVIC chairman opined that the ‘New Khadi of New India’ with the guarantee of Modi government has given a new direction to the ‘self-reliant and Viksit Bharat Abhiyan’. The sector has witnessed a four-fold increase in sale of Khadi products in the last nine years and has economically enriched the artisans of rural India, he added.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, secretary of Odisha Khadi Institutions Federation Gopinath Khadenga and state director of KVIC I Jawahar also spoke. The KVIC chairman distributed bee boxes, electric potters’ wheels, paper machines, and Sabai grass-making tools to artisans on this occasion.