MSME Minister Giriraj Singh throws light on Solar Charkha Mission at IITF 2018

Giriraj Singh, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), talked about his dream project on the second day of the 38th edition of the India International Trade Fair (IITF), 2018, organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in New Delhi.

Speaking about the context behind the Solar Charkha Mission, the Minister said, “The Indian textile industry consists of the Khadi sector, which is less than one percent, the handloom sector comprises of about 12 percent, and the hosiery sector comprises of 22-25 percent and the rest of it comprises of power looms.”

He also mentioned the textile sector was the biggest employment generating sector and the government is aiming to apply the model of decentralising the production of yarn in it. In order to provide employment to women weavers and help them to earn about Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000, the government has also set up sample projects in Bihar’s Nevada region and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

“On the same decentralising model we have also tried to expand the solar energy sector and have made schemes under which there are solar charkha projects worth Rs 40,000 crore. Under these schemes, the main priority has been given to the entrepreneurs and the Khadi institutions. The scheme has the ability to generate employment to more than five crore people,” he added.

Giriraj Singh also inaugurated the MSME pavilion on the second day.

This year’s theme for the fair is ‘Rural Enterprises in India’, and all state and government organisations as well as other stakeholders are set to work for the benefit of these businesses. The fair was inaugurated on November 14 and will end on November 27.

Around 800 participants from government departments and domestic and international companies were part of the event. Rural artisans, craftspeople, and SME entrepreneurs were also part of the gathering. “We are coming up with a world-class state-of-the-art infrastructure, which will be at par with the rest of the world and will be delivered by September next year,” said LC Goyal, Chairman and MD, India Trade Promotion Organisation, at the fair.

(Inputs by Rishabh Mansur, Vatsla Srivastava)