Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The exhibition of Khadi products at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj from January 14 to February 27 this year recorded robust sales to the tune of Rs 12.02 crore, according to Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Manoj Kumar. He said 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.
He also said 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. Kumar distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states through a video conference from KVIC’s Rajghat office in Delhi.
Addressing the artisans, the KVIC Chairman recalled that in 2016, from Banaskantha’s Deesa in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra 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 the monthly broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi had discussed the benefits of bee farming, emphasizing that apart from honey, bee wax is also a major source of income.
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, PM Modi had said in the talk show.
The KVIC Chairman has 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 said 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.
