Khadi not a fabric but an idea, says PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Ahead of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday pitched for taking forward the movement to popularise Khadi, which he said was not a fabric but an “idea”.
He said a new thinking has been infused in those working in the Khadi sector in the government as to how to bring in new technology, how to increase productivity and how to rejuvenate traditional heritage “which was lying inactive for 20, 25 or 30 years”.
In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi said the Khadi sale has increased and as a result, the poor man’s household has directly got linked to employment.
“I once again urge that we should try and take forward the Khadi movement,” he said.
By buying Khadi, enable the Diwali lamp to be lit in a poor man’s home, Modi said, asking people to have such a spirit.
He said Sewapuri Khadi Ashram at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was lying closed for 26 years but now it has got a fresh lease of life.
He said Khadi Gramodyog has also revived its training centre at Pampore in Kashmir. In this sector, Kashmir has so much to offer, Modi said.
With the reopening of this training centre, the new generation will get a boost in jobs in manufacturing, in weaving, in creating new things, he said.
He expressed happiness that even big corporate houses have started including Khadi items as Diwali gifts.
Answering his critics, Modi said he has used his monthly radio programme to reflect the views and aspirations of the people rather than expressing his own opinions.
He said he had kept this threeyear-old programme away from politics and had tried to connect