Khadi exhibition with 105 stalls inaugurated in Varanasi; aims to promote artisans and traditional arts
KVIC also organised a “Khadi Kareegar Sammelan” which was attended by over 2,000 Khadi artisans, mostly women, from Varanasi and 12 adjoining districts.
Union Minister of State for MSME Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma yesterday inaugurated a khadi exhibition in Varanasi which displayed handicraft products from over 20 states in India.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) also organised a “Khadi Kareegar Sammelan” (Khadi artisans’ conference), which was attended by over 2,000 Khadi artisans, mostly women, from Varanasi and 12 adjoining districts like Prayagraj, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Sonbhadra, etc.
The minister while launching the exhibition said that the Khadi Kareegar Sammelan is aimed at strengthening the artisans by helping them market their products and enhance their incomes.
He also added, "In the last few years, Varanasi has emerged as a hub of various Khadi activities. Almost all rural and traditional arts like spinning, weaving, beekeeping and pottery have been promoted on a large scale here, that has created self-employment for the artisans and made them aatmanirbhar."
The annual exhibition will have about 105 stalls set up by Khadi institutions from states like Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Leh-Ladakh, and more.
Several products were showcased including the likes of muslin fabric from West Bengal, a variety of silk fabric Koti Shawls from Punjab, leather products from Kanpur, terracotta pottery from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, hand-knotted carpets of Mirzapur and Prayagraj etc.
The momentum around promoting khadi products has increased especially after the two waves of COVID-19 which has brought enormous hardship for the sector. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu recently appealed to the citizens to treat Khadi as 'national fabric' and promote its use extensively. He also called upon celebrities from various fields to come forward and promote the use of Khadi in a big way.
(With inputs added from PIB)
Edited by Kanishk Singh