New Delhi: On the auspicious occasion of ‘Gandhi Jayanti’, Manoj Kumar, Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), under the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, extended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the welfare of the poor by announcing a significant wage hike for Khadi artisans across the country.
Spinners who spin yarn on the charkha will see a 25 per cent increase in their wages, while weavers who work on the loom will receive a 7 per cent hike.
Additionally, a special discount of 20 per cent on Khadi products and 10 per cent on Village Industries products has been launched at the flagship Khadi Bhavan in Connaught Place, New Delhi, as well as across the country.
To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J.P. Nadda, and Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Minister of State for MSME and Labour & Employment Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, along with KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar and several other dignitaries, shopped at the Khadi Bhavan on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, officially launching the special discount campaign. Addressing the media, Nadda appealed to citizens to buy Khadi products.
Jitan Ram Manjhi also urged people through the media to adopt Khadi and indigenous products and become a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
Speaking at the event, KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar reiterated Mahatma Gandhi’s words, “I see God in every thread spun on the charkha.” Embracing this philosophy, KVIC has been weaving the fabric of welfare for the poor through the “Charkha Revolution.”
On September 17, 2024, in a ceremony held at Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace, Porbandar, on the occasion of PM Modi’s birthday, the announcement of a 25 per cent wage hike for spinners and a 7 per cent increase for weavers was made.
The revised wages came into effect on October 2, 2024, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Shri Kumar explained that spinners who previously earned Rs 10 per hank would now receive Rs 12.50, an increase of Rs 2.50 per hank.
He highlighted that this is the second time in his tenure that the wages of spinners and weavers have been increased; the last hike was on April 1, 2023, when wages were raised from Rs 7.50 to Rs 10 per hank.
Chairman Manoj Kumar credited PM Modi’s leadership for transforming the lives of spinners and weavers through the ‘Khadi Revolution.’
The Khadi sector’s business crossed Rs 1.55 lakh crore in the last fiscal year, and to ensure the benefits reach Khadi artisans, KVIC has decided to increase wages.