Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 8 (ANI): Manoj Kumar, Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) stated that a national-level exhibition was organised at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh from January 14 to February 27, 2025.
As a result of PM Modi’s ‘Khadi Revolution,’ the exhibition recorded historic sales of Khadi products worth Rs 12.02 crore.
He added that the exhibition featured 98 Khadi stalls and 54 village industry stalls, which collectively recorded sales of Rs 9.76 crore in Khadi and Rs 2.26 crore in village industry products.
To strengthen the ‘New Khadi for New India’ movement, Kumar distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states via a video conference from KVIC’s Rajghat office in Delhi.
While addressing the distribution program, KVIC Chairman Kumar highlighted that in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of spreading the ‘Sweet Revolution’ across villages, the ‘Honey Mission’ has been initiated to distribute bee colonies and bee boxes to beekeepers.
Addressing the artisans, Chairman KVIC recalled that in 2016, from Banaskantha’s Deesa in Gujarat, PM Modi had called for a ‘Sweet Revolution’ alongside the ‘White Revolution.’ Inspired by this, KVIC launched the ‘Honey Mission’ in 2017, under which more than 20,000 beneficiaries have so far received two lakh bee boxes and bee colonies.
He further noted that in the 75th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ the Prime Minister had discussed the benefits of bee farming, emphasising that apart from honey, bee wax is also a major source of income.
According to a release issued by the MSME Ministry, Bee wax is in high demand in the pharmaceutical, food, textile, and cosmetic industries. Therefore, more and more farmers should integrate bee farming with their agricultural practices, as it will not only increase their income but also add sweetness to their lives while making the country self-reliant in honey production.
In his address, Chairman KVIC highlighted the achievements of the Khadi sector over the past 10 years, stating that sales of Khadi and village industry products have increased fivefold, from Rs 31,000 crore to Rs 1,55,000 crore.
The sales of Khadi garments alone have surged six times, from Rs 1,081 crore to Rs 6,496 crore, while 10.17 lakh new jobs were created in the last financial year. He also mentioned that the income of Khadi artisans has risen by 213 per cent in the past decade, with over 80 per cent of employment in the sector being generated for women.
The event was attended via video conference by beneficiaries of the Village Industries Development Scheme, as well as officials and employees from KVIC headquarters in Mumbai and Delhi. (ANI)
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