I believe that where there is pure and active love for the poor there is God also. I see God in every thread that I draw on the spinning wheel – M K Gandhi
Khadi or Khaddar means handspun and handwoven cloth. In 1918 Mahatma Gandhi started his movement for Khadi as a relief programme for the poor masses living in India’s villages.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is working on the Mission Solar Charkha scheme. The scheme envisages setting up of Solar Charkha Clusters which would mean a focal village and other surrounding villages in a radius of 8 to 10 kilometers. Further, such a cluster will have 200 to 2042 beneficiaries (spinners, weavers, stitches and other skilled artisans).
Each spinner will be given two charkhas of 10 spindles each. On an average, it is considered that such cluster will have about 1000 charkhas. A cluster with full capacity will provide direct employment to 2042 artisans.
Government of India has accorded approval to set up 50 such clusters with a budget of Rs 550 crore of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Scheme is envisaged to generate direct employment nearly to one lakh persons in the approved Fifty (50) Clusters.
Financial Assistance
One cluster of Solar Charkha would involve a maximum subsidy of Rs. 9.599 cr. The scheme would cover three types of Interventions, namely:
1) Capital subsidy for individual and for Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
- 2000 Solar Charkhas at the maximum price of Rs.45,000/- per charkha and a subsidy of Rs.15,750/- per charkha works out to a cumulative subsidy of Rs.3.15 crore for 1000 spinners.
- One unit of two Solar Charkhas would produce 2.0 kg of yarn on an average per day, resulting in a production of 2.0 tons per 2000 charkhas. Thus, 500 Solar Looms would be required to convert the yarn into fabric at the maximum price of Rs.1,10,000/- per loom and subsidy @35% at Rs.38,500/- per loom and the cumulative subsidy works out to Rs.1.93 crore for 500 weavers.
- Capital cost of construction of workshed with a minimum space of 20,000 sq.ft with 100% subsidy at the maximum rate upto Rs 1.20 crore per cluster for the SPV.
- Capital cost of Solar Grid of 50 KW capacity with 100% subsidy at the maximum rate upto Rs.0.40 crore per cluster for the SPV.
- One-time Capital Cost Subsidy for the SPV @35% works out to maximum of Rs.0.75 crore per Cluster for the purchase of twisting machines, dying machines and stitching machines (500 in number) for making the unit self-sustainable and for value addition.
2) Interest subvention for Working Capital
It is proposed to have a ceiling of 8% of interest subvention on working capital irrespective of the interest rates being charged by the Banks/Financial Institutions for a period of six months. Recurring Working Capital cost for a period of six months at the rate of interest subvention of 8% works out to Rs 1.584 crore for one cluster including cost of roving, wages of spinners and weavers.
3) Capacity building
The scheme envisages courses for the spinners/weavers and others involved in the garmenting unit at a total cost of Rs 0.595 cr per cluster for a period of two years.
Spinning for Self-reliance
Spinning and weaving was elevated to an ideology for self-reliance and self government. In the first half of this century, farmers did not have enough work to earn their living throughout the year. About four months they remained idle due to the dry season.
Spinning would thereby supply the easiest occupation; it required practically no outlay or capital, even an improved spinning wheel could be easily and cheaply made. Gandhi saw it as the end of dependency on foreign materials and thus a form of real independence.
Gandhi also felt that in a county where manual labour was looked down upon, it was an occupation to bring high and low, rich and poor together, to show them the dignity of hand-labour. He asked not only of those in need, but of every person to do spinning at least about one hour per day as sacrifice to his county, as duty towards the poor. He hoped for a certain bond of unity between the classes and masses by bridging the gap with a common occupation, and he saw great social value in hand-spinning.
It was for economic, cultural and social reasons and not merely political that Gandhi established the Khadi Movement. He began promoting the spinning of khadi for rural self-employment and self-reliance (instead of using cloth manufactured industrially in Britain) in the 1920s, thus making khadi an integral part and an icon of the Swadeshi movement.
Enhancing productivity
In 2017, a total of 4,60,000 people were employed in industries making khadi products. Production and sales rose by 31.6% and 33% respectively in 2017 after multi-spindle charkas were introduced to enhance the productivity by replacing the single-spindle charkas.
In 2019 it was reported that overall khadi sales in India have risen by 28% in the 5 year period preceding 2018-2019. The revenues from khadi in the last financial year stood at Rs 3,215 crore and the KVIC has set a target of Rs 5000 crore to be achieved by 2020.
Various states have boards and/or cooperative societies for khadi production, promotion, sale and marketing, such as Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board, Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society, Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd, Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation, and Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society.
Additionally, several institutes are involved in research and training in this area, such as Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Champa and Institute of Handloom and Textile Technology.The Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation of India is focused on popularising khadi overseas. The Rehwa Society is an NGO involved in khadi production.
