Khadi and Village Industries Commission is all set to open its retail unit at Visakhapatnam International Airport, which would be the first-ever outlet to be housed in an Indian airport.
The 120 sq ft stall, allotted by Airports Authority of India, will begin its retailing operations from July 8 post its inauguration scheduled at 2 p.m. Besides expanding its market reach, the store established at a cost of Rs.50 lakh also aims at giving a fillip to rural artisans by bringing out a wide variety of herbal soaps, shampoos and essential oils, sandalwood-based incense sticks, organic perfumes, cosmetics, and honey. “The catalogue will soon include home decors made of bamboo and cane, hand-woven denim jeans, jackets, leather shoes and handbags and hand woven coir carpets. Though this project has been delayed by a couple of months, we are glad that it gained momentum in the last few weeks, inching closer towards completion,” says K. Brahmajee Rao, Divisional Director of KVIC, Visakhapatnam, adding that the new store currently has products such as silk saris, kurta-pyjama sets for men, salwar-suits , readymade khadi silk shirts, fabrics, towels, hankies, and Ponduru khadi products. The outlet will be kept open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will remain open all seven days in a week.
Advising buyers to go for labelled khadi products, validating whether the product is genuine or not, he cautioned that there were several unrecognised khadi bhandars sprang up across the city marketing sub-standard and spurious fabric.
As part of its expansion plans, KVIC’s biggest retail outlet is getting readied at the Centre for Gandhian Studies, GITAM University.
“This will be the fifth certified khadi outlet in the city taken up at a cost of Rs.1 crore. The management of the university dedicated a 1,000 sq ft area for the purpose at nominal rental. This project aims at popularising khadi brand among youth. Members of KVIC institutions from across the States will exhibit and market their products on a consignment basis,” adds Mr. Rao.
The store, established at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh, will begin its retailing operations from
July 8.
K. Brahmajee Rao
Divisional Director, KVIC
