Khadi plaza to come up in Jaipur, Bikaner and Jodhpur

BIKANER: At khadi plaza, buyers can look forward to items such as khadi cloth, wood craft, terracotta, stone craft, handloom, jewellery, bamboo craft, metal craft, jute...

JASWANT SINGH BISHNOI, chairman of the board

Rajasthan Khadi and Village Industries Board plans to set up three ‘khadi plazas’ with hi-tech facilities in the state to promote khadi products.

The board plans to set up a khadi plaza each in Bikaner, Jaipur and Jodhpur, said Jaswant Singh Bishnoi, the chairman of the board.

The idea is to bring people close to khadi and let them identify the khadi products, said Bishnoi, adding that the board also wants to market the khadi products in a “more professional manner”.

At khadi plaza, buyers can look forward to items such as khadi cloth, wood craft, terracotta, stone craft, handloom, jewellery, bamboo craft, metal craft, jute and traditional paintings among other items, which will be on display for sale, Bishnoi said. The exhibition-cumsale of khadi and village industries products will increase the participation of artisans, craftsmen, khadi institutions and rural employment generation programme units, he added.

The board is also planning to launch a training programme for the MNREGA workers, teach them the art of khadi and help them to adopt craftsmanship. Bishnoi said that the importance of khadi and village industries lies in the fact that they have succeeded to a large extent in preserving their traditional arts and crafts.

Secondly, they have been successful in providing self-employment to a large number of people in rural areas, particularly women. Thirdly, khadi movement has provided a big boost to rural handicrafts industry and rural employment.

He said that khadi and village industries has changed with the times, as new concepts and new material have come to be utilised on a large-scale in production of textiles and arts and crafts goods.