New Delhi:New Delhi, June 17:In ayear completely marred by Covid-19 pandemic, Khadi and Village IndustriesCommission (KVIC) has recorded its highest-ever turnover. In the year 2020-21,KVIC registered a gross annual turnover of Rs. 95,741.74crores, as compared toRs. 88,887 crores turnover in 2019-20, thus, registering an increase of 7.71%.
KVIC’srecord performance in 2020-21 assumes great significance as productionactivities remained suspended for more than three months during the nationwidelockdown announced on March 25 last year. During this period, all Khadiproduction units and sales outlets too remained closed that severely affectedthe production and sales. However, KVIC swiftly rose to the Hon’ble PrimeMinister’s clarion calls for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and “Vocal for Local”. Theinnovative marketing ideas of Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises,ShriNitinGadkari further diversified KVIC’s product range, scaled up localproduction and paved the way for Khadi’s successive growth.
Comparedto the year 2015-16, the overall production in Khadi and Village Industrysectors in 2020-21 has registered a whopping growth of 101% while the grosssales during this period increased by 128.66%.
A hostof initiatives like launch of Khadi e-portal, Khadi masks, Khadi footwear, KhadiPrakritikPaint, Khadi hand sanitizers, etc., setting up of a record number of new PMEGPunits, new SFURTI clusters, Government’s push to “Swadeshi” and KVIC’s historicagreements with Paramilitary forces for supply of provisions increased theturnover of village industry sector during the pandemic. Compared to theproduction of Rs. 65,393.40 crores in 2019-20, the production in villageindustry sector increased to Rs. 70,329.67 crores in 2020-21. Similarly, in FY2020-21, the sales of village industry products stood at Rs. 92,214.03 croresas compared to Rs. 84,675.29 crores in 2019-20.
Theproduction and sales in the Khadi sector, however, slightly declined asspinning and weaving activities across the country took a major hit during thepandemic. The overall production in the Khadi sector in 2020-21 was recorded atRs. 1904.49 crores as compared to Rs. 2292.44 crores in 2019-20, while theoverall Khadi sales stood at Rs. 3527.71 crore as compared to Rs. 4211.26 crorein the previous year.
KVIC Chairman ShriVinaiKumar Saxena said that during the Pandemic people responded enthusiastically tothe calls of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and “Vocal for Local”. He said that duringthis period, KVIC’s main focus was to create sustainable employment forartisans and unemployed youth. Faced with economic distress, a large number ofyouths took up self-employment and manufacturing activities under PMEGP whichincreased the production in the village industry sector. At the same time, thesales of Khadi and village industry products grew significantly following thePrime Minister’s appeal to buy Swadeshi products.