THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Industries Minister A C Moideen on Thursday said the government is aiming to ensure `60 crore worth of khadi sales this year. Inaugurating the Khadi Grama Soubhagya showroom at the KSRTC terminal here, he said khadi symbolised national pride and swaraj (self-rule).
Moideen said the Khadi Movement had once provided employment to several thousand people.
He said the government will roll out measures to increase khadi sale and thereby generate more employment.
According to Moideen, bringing in cloth woven using the mechanised wheel from other states and selling it at a lower price had become a trend. But mechanisation will drastically affect the quality of khadi.
Moideen said the government had started efforts to bring in small machines working on solar power to improve volume of production.
M S Rajasree, principal, Barton Hill Engineering College made the first sale. Khadi Village Industries Board vice chairman M V Balakrishnan master, Thampanoor ward councillor A V Jayalakshmi, Planning Board Member Mrudul Eapen and Khadi Village Industries Board member T V Baby attended.