10-day Khadi Festival in Lucknow, stalls of more

than 160 entrepreneurs, handicrafts and indigenous industries to get new boost

Pledge to strengthen self-employment and rural

economy, grand exhibition of Khadi products begins

Khadi Mahotsav-2025 brings together innovation and

tradition to accelerate Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Honoring entrepreneurs and beneficiaries, calling

for taking Khadi to new heights of national identity: Minister Rakesh Sachan

Lucknow, 21 Nov (HS): State Minister for Micro,

Small and Medium Enterprises, Khadi and Village Industries, Silk Industry,

Handloom and Textiles, Rakesh Sachan inaugurated the 10-day long 'Khadi

Mahotsav-2025' on Friday at the Central Sanskrit University, Gomti Nagar,

Lucknow. Minister Sachan inaugurated the program by cutting the ribbon,

garlanding the statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, and lighting a

lamp.

The festival showcased exquisite products made

from Khadi and village industries at stalls set up by over 160 entrepreneurs and

units from various districts of the state. Gandhiji called Khadi the soul of

the freedom struggle. Through the boycott of foreign textiles and the promotion

of indigenous textiles, Khadi united the entire nation in the freedom movement.

Today, Khadi is not just a fabric, but has become a strong foundation for

self-reliance, employment generation, and the rural economy. In his address,

Minister Rakesh Sachan said that Khadi is linked to Mahatma Gandhi's idea of

​​self-reliance, and today, under the leadership of the Prime Minister and

Chief Minister, under the campaigns of cleanliness, Swadeshi, self-employment,

and self-reliant India, Khadi is once again becoming a national identity. He

also said that by organizing Khadi and village industry exhibitions in all 18

divisions of the state, a wider market is being provided to rural products. A

total of 20 exhibitions held last year saw participation of more than 2000

units and sales worth Rs 44.38 crore were recorded, which is a significant

achievement towards strengthening the rural economy.

Minister Sachan stated that the Khadi and Village

Industries Board currently provides employment to over 390,000 people, a 21

percent increase over the previous year. In 2025, 66,640 youth were provided

with toolkits and linked to self-employment. Equipment such as dona-making

machines, popcorn machines, honey boxes, and electric potter's wheel are

playing an effective role in empowering rural women and youth. At the event,

entrepreneurs with outstanding work were honored with state-level awards and

various toolkits were distributed to selected beneficiaries.

Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Sagar stated that

Khadi is now becoming the youth's preferred choice through modern designs and

techniques. Fashion shows and the participation of organizations like NIFT are

giving Khadi a new look. He also stated that arrangements have been made to

bring Khadi products to national and global markets through e-commerce

platforms like Amazon and Flipkart, providing increased income and recognition

to artisans. He stated that ensuring superior quality and reliability is a

priority for the department, ensuring continued consumer confidence.

Lucknow residents were urged to attend the

festival in large numbers to purchase Khadi products and boost the morale of

rural artisans. Media representatives were also requested to help promote Khadi

by widely publicizing the event. Other senior officials and employees of the

department were also present at the event.

On this occasion, Minister Rakesh Sachan

presented awards and certificates to the selected beneficiaries and

entrepreneurs. As state-level outstanding units, Deepak Kumar of Meerut was

honored with the first prize of Rs.

40,000, Mamta of Gonda with the second prize of Rs. 30,000, and Sanjay Singh of Hathras

with the third prize of Rs.

20,000. Additionally, five selected beneficiaries—Shashi Shukla, Pinky,

Umakant, Vidyawati, and Hindraj—were presented with dona-making machines.

Popcorn machines were also distributed to five beneficiaries: Soni, Preeti, Arjun,

Kishan Kumar, and Ankit Sahu. Similarly, Rakesh Verma, Meena, Shivshankar

Patel, Ajay Verma, and Anita Verma were selected and honored for providing

honey boxes. To promote clay crafts, electric potter's wheels were also

provided to five selected beneficiaries: Ziaul Haq, Shivkumar, Anurag

Prajapati, Surendra Kumar, and Piyush Prajapati. In the programme, Puppy, the

only beneficiary selected for the Pugmill, was encouraged by providing him

equipment.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi