New Delhi: Making a strong pitch for khadi,
Union Minister Dinsha Patel on Tuesday asked Lok Sabha members to
at least wear clothes made from the handspun fabric.
"Ministers and members of Parliament should wear only
khadi," Patel, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSME), said during Question Hour.
"If not clothes, members should at least keep a khadi
handkerchief or a towel," he said adding that such measures by
ministers and members would help promote use of the fabric.
Patel said the government had approved a comprehensive
khadi reform and development programme to revitalise the
sector.
The programme would ensure enhanced sustainability of
khadi, increased incomes and employment of spinners and
weavers, increased artisans` welfare and development of
selected village industries, he said.
For implementation of the programme, USD 150 million from
Asian Development Bank (ADB) is being provided to the
government of India and will be released to Khadi and Village
Industries Commission as grants-in-aid under budgetary
allocation through his ministry, he said.
PTI
