District Collector R. Nanthagopal inaugurated a special khadi sale in connection with the Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations at Khadi Kraft run by the Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) at Ida Scudder Road here on Friday.
Mr. Nanthagopal said that a sale target of Rs.60 lakh had been fixed for the Deepavali season and an annual target of Rs.100 lakh for the five KVIB showrooms in Vellore district this year. The showrooms include four in Vellore, Arcot, Arakkonam and Vaniyambadi, and one Grama Shilpa in Ranipet.
Steps had taken to achieve the target by setting up temporary khadi showrooms in most of the panchayat union offices and offices of the Assistant Elementary Education Officers in Vellore district. Against a target of Rs.54 lakh during 2014-15, Rs.54.18 lakh was achieved, he said.
The Collector said the Central and State governments would be jointly offering a rebate of 30 per cent each on khadi, silk and polyester, and 20 per cent on woollen clothes. khadi and polyester cloth woven in Tirupur and silk cloth woven in Kancheepuram, Salem, Ammapettai, Ayyampettai, Kumbakonam and Arni were being procured by the KVIB and sold in the showrooms in Vellore district. Pillows produced by the KVIB with quality silk cotton were also sold. Khadi clothes made by villagers are sold in the showrooms, he said.
P. Karthiyayini, Mayor of Vellore; R. Kumar, Assistant Director of Khadi and Village Industries; and M. Vijayakumar, District Information and Public Relations Officer, participated in the function.
The Collector also inaugurated the Deepavali sale in the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan run by the North Arcot Sarvodaya Sangh at Sarathi Mansions on Anna Road. Ms. Karthiyayini participated in the function.
V. Padmanabhan, secretary of the Sarvodaya Sangh, said the Sangh achieved a production and sale of khadi goods worth Rs.272.24 lakh in 2014-15, and had fixed a target of Rs.370 lakh for 2015-16. It had seven production units and seven sales showrooms in Vellore district. The Central and State governments offered a bonus of 8 per cent of the monthly wages to workers of the Sarvodaya Sangh, he said.
