Tribal students to wear eco-friendly Khadi school uniform

New Delhi: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on Tuesday entered into agreements for purchasing Khadi fabric for tribal students and for wider employment generation in the tribal sector.

Two memorandum of understanding (MoUs) to this effect were signed in presence of Minister of MSME, Nitin Gadkari and Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda. The initiatives are aligned with Prime Minister's call for "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" as they aim at strengthening Khadi artisans and the Tribal youth of the country through creation of self-employment.

As part of the first MoU, the KVIC will supply over 6 lakh meters of Khadi fabric worth Rs 14.77 crore in 2020-21, for the students in Eklavya Residential Schools being run by the Tribal Affairs Ministry. As the government increases the number of Eklavya Schools every year; the quantum of purchase of Khadi fabric shall also increase proportionally and the purchase value of Khadi material will go up to Rs 50 crore every year.

Under the second MoU, National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation (NSTFDC), an agency of the Tribal Affairs Ministry has been roped in as a partner of KVIC in implementing the Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), a flagship scheme of the Government of India.

Gadkari termed the agreements as historic and said this will add impetus to the ongoing efforts of KVIC to boost Khadi production and create self-employment to fulfill the dream of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

"KVIC and the Tribal Affairs Ministry should target providing 25 jobs in every Indian village for which the Ministry of MSME will provide the funds. This will help us achieve the goal of rural resurgence or 'Gramoday'. Tribal youths of the country can be engaged with activities like beekeeping, honey processing, manufacturing of cow dung paint, Agarbatti making and bamboo production that are economically beneficial," Gadkari said.

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said the MoU will benefit the tribals by engaging them in various production activities and creating self-employment opportunities.

"Promoting entrepreneurship in tribal areas and enhancing local production will not only strengthen India's manufacturing sector but also help us explore global marketing avenues while fulfilling our own necessities," Munda said.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said Khadi, through its flagship schemes like Honey Mission and Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana, was already working for socio-economic upliftment of the tribals across the country and this agreement with the Tribal Affairs Ministry will accelerate the pace of development.

"Thousands of tribal youth and women have been roped in with employment generation schemes like Honey Mission and Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana in states like Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Assam that have a large tribal population. Many tribals are also engaged with production of Khadi fabric. I am hopeful the participation of tribal youths in the manufacturing and service sector through PMEGP will also increase after this MoU," Saxena said.

KVIC Chairman said the agreement for bulk purchase of Khadi fabric for tribal students will benefit Khadi artisans in terms of more employment and higher income. He said with these supplies, the tribal students will get to wear the most eco-friendly and comfortable uniforms made of Khadi fabric. In future, KVIC also plans to supply more Khadi products like bedding, towels, durries, etc. for the students.