On the appeal of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the people of Delhi have set a new record in the purchase of Khadi and Village Industries products. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the flagship Khadi Bhawan at Connaught Place in the heart of New Delhi witnessed the highest ever sale of Khadi and Village Industries products worth Rs.1,52,45,000. Shri Manoj Kumar, Chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise attributed the phenomenal sales of Gandhi ji’s legacy Khadi on Gandhi Jayanti to the 'Brand Power "of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his unprecedented popularity among the masses. According to Shri Manoj Kumar, in the 'Mann Ki Baat" programme on 24th September 2023, the Prime Minister had appealed to the countrymen to buy some or the other Khadi products on the day of Gandhi Jayanti. This appeal created a huge impact on the public. It is the effect of his appeal that every year in the past, a new record has been set for the sale of Khadi and Village Industries products on the day of Gandhi Jayanti, which shows that people have a special attachment towards India's heritage cloth viz; Khadi.

According to the latest sales data, in the last financial year 2022-23, on the day of Gandhi Jayanti, Khadi Bhawan in Connaught Place, Delhi, the sale was Rs.1,33,95,000, this time it has reached the figure of Rs.1,52,45,000. As the first customer on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, KVIC Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar purchased Khadi clothes at Khadi Bhawan, Connaught Place on 2nd October morning and made a digital payment through UPI.

According to KVIC Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on many occasions, has appealed on the national and international forums to buy Khadi products. Speaking on the occasion of G20 and National Handloom Day held recently at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, he mentioned as to how in the last 9 years, the mantra of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' and 'Vocal for Local' has led to the sale of Khadi and Village Industries products crossing Rs.1.34 lakh crores. During the G-20 Summit, in the program held at Rajghat to pay tribute to revered Bapu, Prime Minister not only gave global recognition to Khadi by welcoming the world leaders with Khadi clothes, but also inspired the people of the country to buy Khadi. As a result, on the day of Gandhi Jayanti, there was a huge rush of people to buy Khadi products at Khadi Bhawan in Connaught Place, Delhi.

If we look at the figures of the last three years of sales on the day of Gandhi Jayanti, every year the sales have crossed the figure of Rs.1 crore. But this is the first time that the sales figure has jumped to Rs.1.5 crore. While the sale of Khadi and Village Industries products was Rs.1.01 crore in FY 2021-22 and it had increased to Rs.1.34 crore in year 2022-23, while the sales figure has crossed Rs.1.52 crore in this financial year. All these figures make it evident that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi 

 'Khadi of India" has become the forerunner of “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” in the country.

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MJPS