Govt to push khadi for military uniform

After a move that has not yet fructified to make khadi as the dress code of all central government employees, the government is trying to push the swadeshi material for the military uniforms.

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) had approached the government to consider the khadi uniforms in the defence forces.

Those in the Army, however, say promotion of khadi is always welcome but the khadi uniforms will be difficult to maintain, particularly when the forces are deployed in hard outdoor conditions.

They say khadi material should undergo rigorous tests before introducing it for the military uniforms as it should be tested in terms of appearance, durability, comfort, ease of maintenance and costs.

The Army is already seeking help of the private industry to improve the design and quality of the uniforms to make them lightweight, breathable and skin friendly with anti-microbial properties. Khadi material will have to withstand all these tests before its introduction in the defence forces for the uniforms.

While the jawans and others in the rank and file have just two or three uniforms for wear, the Army officers wonder if khadi will meet the requirement of the variety of uniforms of different material worn by the officers that suit different climatic conditions.

The officers are supposed to wear different dresses for service and ceremonial occasions as there are different dresses for field duties, morning PT as also different mess dresses for summer and winter. They say khadi will not be suitable to meet all these requirements.

Those in the Army say promotion of khadi is always welcome but the khadi uniforms will be difficult to maintain, particularly when the forces are deployed in hard outdoor conditions