Indian handspun khadi industry will provide employment to about five crore people across the country by the year 2022, minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh has said.

During a visit to Tripura, the minister went around centres run by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and discussed with officials there and board members the ways to revive handspun khadi so that it could be turned into a zero-carbon footprint green fabric of India.

Singh said solar charkhas will make khadi the green organic yarn which does not affect the environment. “We have made a plan to introduce solar run spinning wheels in KVIC so that it can provide employment to five crore people throughout the nation by the year 2022. Prime Minister has also said this in ‘Maan Ki Baat’. I have discussed this with the chairman of KVIC and we shall work together so that the locals get employment and shall work on that,” he said.

Singh informed that in order to make khadi cost effective, more than 7,000 showrooms of the KVIC are planned to be used for sell points of khadi products. Also, fashion designers are being involved for launching eco and user-friendly, designer, green fabric products, which are to be made available in various showrooms and are also to be sold through e-marketing.

The vision of reviving the khadi industry through application of science of green energy to the spinning wheel can create employment in the rural areas bringing in social and economic changes.

Recently, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi emphasised on the importance of khadi saying, “Khadi has the power to provide employment to crore of people. It has now become a symbol and a centre of interest of the nation’s youth.”