For the first since its inception, the KSIC is planning to produce low-cost silk saris under the brand name ‘Mysore Silk’.
Crepes, georgettes and tissue saris with zari costs between Rs. 13,000 and Rs. 2.5 lakh, and not all can afford them. This might change with the KSIC’s spun silk mill at Channapatna, which now defunct, will soon be reopened to manufacture cheaper silk saris.
The State government had approved a grant for reopening the Channapatna factory. The saris will be affordable as they come without the zari border.
The KSIC’s plan is to sell a sari for as low as Rs. 3,000, and the low-cost soft silk saris may hit the market by year-end. The standard quantity of pure and natural silk in one metre of Mysore silk fabric is 65 to 70 gm (a sari weighs about 400 gm). It will be 55 to 60 gm for the lightweight soft silk saris.
