The sale of khadi has seen a major upswing with the Government focusing on reviving its consumption in a big way. Five major departmental stores of the Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) have a registered a whopping 34 per cent increase in sale during the first half of the current financial year.
KVIC Chairman VK Saxena has said that the five flagship stores of KVIC recorded a sale of Rs27.47 cr between April and September against Rs20.54 cr for the same period of last year. In addition, the KVIC's largest outlet, Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan in Delhi recorded a sale of Rs10.79 cr in October as against Rs9.81 crore during the same period last year.
Saxena said this record sale was in addition to Rs1.36 cr revenue generated through sale of gift vouchers and specially designed gift kits/hampers for Diwali. The Rural Electrification Corpn ltd (REC) purchased Khadi gift vouchers worth Rs81.28 lakh for its employees, and the ONGC bought Khadi gift kits and hampers worth Rs53 lakh from KGB New Delhi. Record one day Sale achieved by Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan, Delhi on October 22 was Rs1.08 cr as against Rs26 lakhs on the same day last year.
Saxena pointed out that outstanding payments of various institutions of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan, New Delhi stood at Rs20.98 cr on April 1 cr. In many cases these payments dated back to five year or more. This amount has now come down to Rs11.96 cr. "This remaining outstanding of Rs11.96 crs. will also be cleared @20 per cent payment every month to the institutions ," Saxena Said.
The KVIC's New Delhi outlet created a history by releasing a payment of Rs4.14 Crores on a single day i.e. on October 27, 2016 to 504 Institutions/units, before Diwali. As many as 339 of these were Khadi Institutions, 87 Village Industries Institutions, and 78 were designers, tailors, printers, etc. "The good tidings are set to get further big boost. KVIC products would very soon be available online. The Ministry of MSME has recently approved KVIC's plan to go in for also. KVIC will soon launch online sale of Khadi Products through Paytm," Saxena said.