Salt was intricately associated with Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian freedom struggle as much as Khadi. But, right through the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) had not focused on production and sale of salt. This gap has been now filled.
The Kshetriya Gandhi Ashram, Sevapuri, Varanasi, an old Khadi Institution with the support of the KVIC has set up a salt processing plant at Sevapuri in Varanasi with a capacity of eight tonnes a day. The plant has come up in an old Khadi premises where several other activities have been started during the last 6 months.
The KVIC Chairman VK Saxena who supervised the erection and commissioning of the plant right from inception of the idea inaugurated the new plant on Wednesday. The plant will provide direct employment to 15 local persons and indirect work to 15 others.
The Ashram has a great past. Several leaders of the freedom struggle had visited it. They include Gandhi ji and Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
Saxena said the trial run of the plant started on Wednesday. It will go into commercial production from next month, after completion of various formalities.
The plant will produce iodised salt and it will be sold under the brand name of “Ashram Salt” in one kg packet at a price of Rs12 per kg, far cheaper than other brands. The raw salt for the plant will be procured from Gujarat.
Saxena said that the people of Varanasi will soon get salt locally processed by local people in a local Ashram.