MINISTER FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
(SHRI MAHABIR PRASAD)
(a): No, Sir. The production and sales of khadi have increased in the last five years
(2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07) as detailed below:
Year Value of Production(Rs. crore) Value of Sales(Rs. crore)
2002-03 443.07 577.63
2003-04 453.50 587.04
2004-05 461.54 617.84
2005-06 468.30 628.69
2006-07 491.52 663.19
(b): Does not arise.
(c): There was no decrease in the number of weavers of the khadi sector and the number of
weavers working in the khadi sector during 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are as below:
Year Employment ( lakh persons)
2004-05 6.87
2005-06 6.90
2006-07 7.01
(d) to (f): The steps taken by the Government and KVIC to improve the quality of Khadi
clothes and to make it more competitive include the following :
(i) KVIC has entered into an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Textiles
Committee, a statutory autonomous body set up by the Ministry of Textiles under the Textiles
Committee Act, 1963, under which the Committee has agreed to make available their laboratory
infrastructure for checking quality of khadi cloth. Interfaces were also established
with reputed Research and Development (R&D) institutes to extend results of their R&D
efforts to KVI units.
(ii) Technical manual, specifications and norms for test quality parameters of Khadi
have been devised and published in a booklet form with the assistance of Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT), Delhi. The technical manual prescribes the procedure to be adopted
while checking samples of raw material, sliver, yarn, fabric etc. used in the production
of Khadi, which is expected to ensure the quality of Khadi products.
(iii) In technical collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi,
KVIC has introduced special finishing technique in the khadi sector to improve the quality
and appearance of khadi products and a process facility has been created at Kshetriya Shri
Khadi Ashram, Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh) on a pilot basis.
(iv) Setting up of 6 sliver plants by KVIC in different parts of the country to ensure
supply of quality sliver to the khadi institutions.
(v) Establishment of Rural Industries Service Centres (RISCs) by the KVIC for setting
up common facility centres (CFCs).
(vi) Providing financial assistance under Product Development, Design Intervention and
Packaging (PRODIP) Scheme for improved designs and packaging of khadi products;
(vii) Credit at the concessional rate of interest of 4 per cent per annum provided by
banks as per the assessed requirement of the institutions registered with the Khadi and
Village Industries Commission (KVIC)/State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs)
under the Interest Subsidy Eligibility Certificate (ISEC) Scheme.
(viii) Launching the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI)
for developing 34 khadi clusters throughout the country over five years beginning 2005-06.