Khadi Gramodyog board chairman and Cabinet Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal stressed on Khadi Udyog playing an important role in checking migration of youth and in empowering women economically. He appealed to those associated with Khadi Gramodyog Commission and board officers to execute their part of the work with sincerity. The Minister further said that there is a proposal to establish a plant in Uttarkashi which is famous for wool. He instructed the district magistrate to arrange fund to help purchasing of wool and conducting training programme.
He further instructed the board to increase the number of exhibitions to help the small entrepreneurs and to give emphasis on better designing to make khadi products more competitive. He also asked them to increase the target of wool sale.
He also reviewed the progress report of 14th meeting of Khadi Board and instructed the principal secretary MSME Manisha Panwar to expedite the process for the establishment of cording plant in Mori block of Uttarkashi.
He also instructed Panwar to make effective follow- up to build a colouring community service centre at Jaspur in Udham Singh Nagar. He asked them to increase the timing of sale counter affiliated to the Khadi Board in tune with the demand of the market. Currently, the timing being between 10 am to 5 pm, there is a need to increase it to enable the people to get more time to visit khadi centre.
Board members apprised the minister that there is need of make payment of `11.35 lakh, used for the upgradation of saras marketing centre at Survey Chowk in Dehradun, to the executive agency. Board recommended that there is need to increase the rent of Uttarakhand Khadi and Gramodyog board sale counter in Mussoorie . The minister asked the officials concerned to take legal opinion from the state law department.
Minister also instructed the principal secretary to ensure release of `77.78 lakh which were announced by the Chief Minister for the renovation of Khadi Gramodyog Training Centre from state finance department. Joint chief executive officer BS Khatri apprised that TAC has been sent by the proposed executive agency.
Durgapal was apprised that 140 trainees had undergone training about how to make wool in the year 2015-16 following which the minister asked them to open wool cutting training programme in Bindukhatta at the earliest and also make concrete work plan to increase the sale of wool.
He also asked the officers to send proposal regarding the increase in the labour charge of the weavers. He also heard out the problems facing the Gandhi Ashram and instructed the principal secretary to sort them out. He also asked the principal secretary to divert the fund in non -plan head through re-appropriation or supplementary budget after he was told that under the non- plan head, the department had got only `2 crore out of proposed `9 crore, resulting the department struggling hard to pay the salary of the employees.
The meeting was attended among others by chief executive officer Manisha Panwar, non- government member Dinesh Byas and Manmohan Sharma, Gandhi Ashram minister Dehradun Indrasan Yadav, state director Khadi Gramodyog Anil Kumar Singh, deputy chief executive officer Hukum Singh Molfa and finance controller Puja Negi.