2nd Assessment

Of

Entrepreneurship

Submitted by
Ishita Sabharwal MFM/20/68
Rushikesh Bhattad MFM/20/106
Nikhil Prabhakar MFM/20/393
Jyoti Sharma MFM/20/658

Submitted to
Mr. Bhaskar Banerjee
(Associate Professor)

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)

(Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India)
GH-0 Road, Behind Infocity
Gandhinagar 382007. Gujarat
http://www.nift.ac.in
December 2020

1
 CONTENTS

1. BUSINESS IDEA
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Extension of Business Idea
2. CRAFT
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Process of making Khadi
2.3. Properties of Khadi Fabric
2.4. Types of Khadi Fabrics
2.5. History of Khadi
2.6. Present Status of Khadi
2.7. Khadi as a Sustainable Fabric
3. KHADI VILLIAGE & INDUSTRIES COMMISSION (KHADI GRAM UDYOG)
3.1. Introduction
3.2. About the Company
3.3. Growth Rate of KVIC
3.4. Progress
3.5. Sustainability Efforts of KVIC
4. HANDICRAFTS TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Recent Development in the Industry
4.3. Khadi in the Fashion Industry
4.4. Indian Designers to Promote Khadi
4.5. Sustainability in the Textile Handicraft Industry
5. PRIMARY RESEARCH
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

2
 BUSINESS IDEA

SKILL E-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM & SERVICE PROVIDER

• Through our skill E- Management System an applicant can build his resume and verify the
skills enlisted through the wide variety of tests provided by us.
• The skills enlisted by the applicant are verified and evaluated through the different levels
of tests which in turn categorizes the applicants into different levels of expertise for their
enlisted skills
• The recruiter in turn can easily search for the right candidate for the job and can judge the
level of expertise of the applicant through the levels allotted to him.
• This system can be used for wide variety of skills and job profiles.
For Example: If an applicant enlists himself and mentions that he/she is a Microsoft Excel expert,
then he needs to verify his skill by providing it credibility through the tests provided by the site.
As the level of the tests increases so does the level of expertise in the skill he mentioned will be
shown on his profile. Thus, when a recruiter wants an employee with say Level 4 expertise in
Microsoft Excel then he only needs to search for the candidate with the required credential without
worrying about falsified resumes and will meet the right employee for the job.

EXTENSION OF BUSINESS IDEA

• The E-Skill Management System proposed above is going to be applied to the handicraft
sector providing a platform to the artisans to connect with the potential marketeers.
• Different Artisans hailing from different fields can enlist their skill on the website and can
also display their respective works on their profile.
• Skill enhancement workshops will be conducted for the handicraft workers of different
crafts.
• These craftsmen can form an online community in the form of a forum and can exchange
their respective ideas with each other and can come up with ideas leading to the
development of the crafts and increasing awareness among the public.
• A separate marketplace can be set up for the artisans like e-trade fair connecting them to
potential buyers and exporters.

3
 KHADI CRAFT
INTRODUCTION
Khadi fabric primitively known as khaddar, is made with the help of charkha by spinning
the threads. It is a time-consuming process as it is woven and spun by hand. It is a hand-
woven natural fibre made with cotton. The other variations of Khadi fabric include silk and
wool. Khadi has a rugged texture and can be comfortably worn during both winters and
summers as it keeps one fresh in summers and warm in winters. Khadi manufacturing
became popular before Independence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol
of Boycotting British Clothes. It was then the fabric of freedom fighters and the rural folk.
Gandhi developed the concept of khadi to provide employment to the unemployed rural
population. The motive behind this was not only sales but it was of the belief that Khadi
would bring better changes in the lives of the people as a symbol of solidarity and
togetherness. He also encouraged people to weave their yarn and wear it with pride to
establish and maintain the heritage of the country. This understated fabric was a way of
highlighting the exploitation policies by the British. Khadi holds a position of national
importance as the Indian Flag itself is made from it.

Figure 1-Charkha (thebetterindia, 2017)

As per the Indian Flag Code, only Khadi fabric is acceptable to create the Indian flag. If it
is made with any other material, there's imprisonment of three years and a fine punishable
by the law. Every year Khadi day is celebrated on 19th September. M. Ramarao, the Khadi
weaver of India, has won a National Award for his skills (Faridagupta, 2018).

4
PROCESS OF MAKING KHADI

The process of Khadi Weaving is listed as follows:

FARMING
The cotton which is used for khadi fabric is directly picked from fields.

Figure 2-Cotton plants (thebetterindia, 2017)

CLEANING
In the cleaning process, separation of fibers from cotton seeds is done by using a sharp comb.
This process gives super fine finish and grace to the fabric.

CARDING
Carding involves removal of all final traces from fibers and carded material. Final material
obtained after carding is known as silvers.

SPINNING
After carding, silvers are spun into yarn by using spinning wheel that is “Charkha”. In the
spinning process, silvers are twisted and thinned to give them strength.

REELING
Spun yarns are wounded into reels which make it easy to transport to the weavers.

5
 Figure 3-Khadi Threads (jaminidesign, 2018)

WEAVING
Skilled artisans’ hand-weave the reels into the fabric.

Figure 4-Weaving & Spinning (jaminidesign, 2018)

6
DYEING
After the weaving process fabric is sent to skilled laborer’s for dyeing which is done by using
organic vegetable dyes. This process is completely natural and pollution-free.

Figure 5-Dyed Khadi Yarn (yarnyarn, 2017)

The final material that is obtained is khadi and it is ready to be sold or made into garments by
designers and retailers.

Figure 6-Finished Khadi Product (fibre2fashion, 2011)

7
PROPERTIES OF KHADI FABRIC

Khadi is not just a fabric it is a way of life it represents the struggle of India for independence.
Khadi is all-season fabric, and it can be also worn on festive occasions. Below, I have mentioned
some properties of khadi that makes it one-of-a-kind fabrics.

1. Khadi keep warm in winters and cool in summers

2. The more you wash khadi, the better and fresh it looks on you.

3. No two fabrics of khadi can be identical because of which you get an exclusive feel.

4. Khadi fabric is 3.24 times energy efficient than mill clothes.

TYPES OF KHADI FABRICS

Following are the Types of Khadi Fabrics available in the market:

• Khadi Cotton Fabric- this type of khadi is made from pure cotton yarns. Khadi cotton has
different variations according to the demand of the fashion industry like Handloom khadi
cotton and Textile khadi cotton.
• Woollen Khadi Fabric- this type of khadi fabric is made from fine quality of wool.
• Pandora Khadi- this khadi fabric is rarely available in the market. It is used to make
expensive khadi sarees.
• Khadi Silk Fabric- it has two subtypes of fabrics, first is pure silk in which khadi is made
from silk yarns and second is a blend of several yarns. Khadi silk with the mixture of other
yarns produces different varieties viz: Matka Khadi Silk, Tussar Khadi Silk, Printed
Khadi Silk & Pattu Khadi Silk.

Figure 7-Types of Khadi (khadicotton, 2019)

8
HISTORY OF KHADI
Khadi in Ancient Times
Khadi is an Indian woven fabric that has been known to date back to the glorious ancient Vedic
times (5000 BC) where there are detailed accounts of cotton and natural fibres being hand woven
with gold thread by a handloom.
History yields some remarkably interesting facts about khadi. Hand-spinning and hand-weaving
have been known to Indians for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence, such as terracotta
spindles (for spinning), bone tools (for weaving) and figurines wearing woven fabrics, indicate
that Indus Valley Civilization had a well-developed and flourishing tradition of textiles.

Figure 8-Priest King Mohenjo-Daro (theculturetrip, 2018)

The Indus civilization, around 2800 B.C., had a well-developed tradition of textiles. The famous
stone sculpture found in Mohenjo-Daro (dubbed the Priest King by archaeologists) wears an
elegant robe with decorative motifs and patterns that are still in use in modern Gujarat, Rajasthan,
and Sindh. However, the actual mode of cultivation or method of spinning used by the Harappans
is still unknown.

9
The earliest descriptions of cotton textiles in India comes from ancient literary references. In 400
BC, Greek historian Herodotus wrote that in India, there were “trees growing wild, which produce
a kind of wool better than sheep’s wool in beauty and quality. The Indians use this tree wool to
make their clothes.”
Alexander the Great and his successors established trade routes which finally introduced cotton
to Asia and eventually to Europe. Recovery of Indian fabrics in the old ruins of Cairo supports this
theory. Cotton textiles were considered all the rage in Rome and were popular among the wealthy.
Interestingly, a few 5th century paintings in the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra depict the process of
separating cotton fibers from seeds (called ginning) as well as women spinning cotton yarn
attributing to the presence of Khadi.
Another literary evidence is provided by Chanakya’s Arthashastra, compiled during the Mauryan
reign in 3rd century BC, which refers to “superintendents of yarn (sutradhyaksha)” who should
“get yarn spun out of wool, bark-fibres, cotton, hemp and flax” and “cause work to be carried out
by artisans producing goods”.

Muslin, Chintz and Calico – Pride of Khadi

Vasco Da Gama’s advent of the sea route to Calicut introduced calicos (named after Calicut, where
they were made) and chintz (glazed calicos) to Europe. Initially used as household linens, they
soon became commoner’s clothes due to their comfort, durability, and low costs. By the end of the
17th century, the East India Company was importing a quarter of a million pieces into Britain.
Dhaka’s famous muslin and Calicut’s calico and chintz held sway in European markets.

Figure 9-18th century block printed Indian calico with a chintz pattern (thebetterindia, 2017)

10
Stories about the fine translucent quality of muslin are commonplace. One of the best-known
stories is that of Emperor Aurangzeb admonishing his daughter for wearing a transparent dress.
Princess Zeb-un-Nisa replied, to the astonishment of Aurangzeb, that she was wearing seven layers
of muslin.

Figure 10-A woman in fine Bengali muslin, 18th-century (thebetterindia, 2017)

Chintz threatened the local industry to such an extent that a law was brought in both France in
1686 and in Britain in 1720 banning their use. This was during the golden era of khadi, and
henceforth, khadi went into decline. Increase in production of low-cost mill fabric due to
industrialization spurred demand for raw produce cotton rather than high-quality imports.

Figure 11-Jacket and shawl in chintz, skirt in glazed printed cotton (theculturetrip, 2018)

11
The East India Company encouraged cotton farming, and mill-produced fabrics flooded Indian
markets, thus, starting a downward spiral for handwoven khadi. Mill culture soon started
in Bombay, and mill fabric became the norm, thus, bringing a further decline in hand spinning.
This was khadi’s dark moment. The introduction of textile mills in Bombay, resulted in a sharp
dip in the production of handwoven khadi in India. Millions of weavers across India lost their
livelihood as machine-made textiles from Manchester took over the market.
The decline continued till it was rebranded by Mahatma Gandhi as the “fabric of Indian
independence” and “sacred cloth”. Khadi became the symbol of freedom.

Revival of Khadi
India came under British rule and in 1857, the first simmering of discontent toward
foreign rule became visible. In 1917, national sentiment took the form of the first
revolt against colonial rule. Mahatma Gandhi became the leader of the non -violent
struggle for India's freedom. One of Gandhi's first actions was to launch a civil
disobedience movement and convince the Indian people to abandon factor y-made
clothing that was manufactured by British compani es using Indian cloth. This action
symbolized a national spirit that urged Indians to respect their land and culture.
Khadi, or hand spun and hand-woven Indian cotton fabric, became the weapon of the
non-violent Indian population against their colonial rul ers (becauseofnature, 2020).

Gandhi promoted Khadi as a sign of National Pride & symbol of unity. ‘If we have the ‘khadi
spirit’ in us, we will surround ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life. The ‘khadi spirit’
means illimitable patience. For those who know anything about the production of khadi know how
patiently the spinners and the weavers must toil at their trade, and even so must we have patience
while we are spinning ‘the thread of Swaraj.’ Khadi fabric was commercially launched by All
India Spinners Association in 1925. Advanced weaving techniques emerged and continued to
flourish even after independence.

12
 Figure 12-Gandhi Spinning the Charkha (theculturetrip, 2018)

Gandhi made the Swadeshi Movement synonymous with khadi. He promoted its simplicity as a
social equalizer and made it the nation’s fabric.

13
PRESENT STATUS OF KHADI

After Independence, All India Khadi and Village Industries Board was established by the Indian
government which later became the Khadi, Village, and Industries Commission (KVIC) in 1957.
KVIC is responsible for planning and executing the development of khadi industry in India. It
works towards promoting research in production techniques, supplying raw material and tools to
producers, quality control and marketing of khadi products.

The early 90’s saw the rise of Khadi as a fashion statement. In 1989, KVIC organized the first
khadi fashion show in Bombay, showcasing over 80 styes of Khadi. In 1990, the brilliant designer-
entrepreneur Ritu Beri presented her first khadi collection at the prestigious Tree of Life show held
at Delhi’s craft museum, catapulting the fabric into the big league. Now an advisor to KVIC, Beri
is working to take khadi to the global arena.

The presence of Khadi in Vogue was ensured by a new breed of Indian Designers with the onset
of 21st Century by experimenting with Khadi’s versatility. While the eco-friendly fabric was
already known for its rugged texture, comfortable feel, and ability to keep people warm in winter
as well as cool in summer, its new-age reinterpretation as a modern yet quintessentially Indian
textile has made it very appealing to millennial generation.

From dresses and jackets to bridal lehengas and deconstructed local silhouettes, several leading
designers (like Sabyasachi, Wendell Rodricks and Rajesh Pratap Singh) have taken on the fashion
challenge to reinvent the humble fabric into high-fashion wear. The new-age khadi products in
India are not considered to be cheap (e.g., dyed raw khadi silk fabric is priced at more than ₹ 800
a meter), it is not exclusive either.

Designer Ritu Kumar has been using khadi for over a decade and is known to have praised for its
eco-friendly properties, matte texture, and ability to dye beautifully. However, it is fair to say that
the biggest and brightest proponent of khadi is designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has used it in
almost all his collections. Mukherjee used this “poor man’s cloth” to craft bridal ensembles that
look like they could be worn by royalty. Mukherjee won best designer at a contest called Khadi

14
Goes International, which won him a scholarship to go to London (also his first international trip)
and an internship with the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Figure 13-Sabyasachi Khadi Collection 2020 (Vogue, 2020)

Khadi was the subject of an exhibit by Issey Miyake at the 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo and
showcased again in 2019 at the brand’s New York store. Rahul Mishra used khadi in his collection
for Paris Fashion Week 2019; the quirky, cool collection inspired by school uniforms has nearly
80 per cent of its graphic textile handwoven used using khadi yarns.

According to Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), khadi has increased its fabric
production by 38.30 million sq meters, registering 37.1 per cent growth, since 2015. KVIC is also
planning global stores in Dubai & Paris. The designer Resham Karmchandani, co-founder of The
Pot Plant, a brand that uses khadi for its contemporary, gen-next pieces states, “As far as the fabric
goes, khadi has various beautiful weaves and is also extremely comfortable as a fabric. People
eventually end up buying khadi a lot more as it is trans-seasonal and offers value for money."
(Kuriakose, 2019)

15
The annual production value of the Khadi sector increased from ₹453.00 crore in 2003-04 to
₹491.5 crore in 2006-07, and sales increased from ₹587 crore to ₹663.2 crore during the same
period (Peter, 2014).

Figure 14-Performance of Khadi Sector (2003-07) (Peter, 2014)

the share of cotton yarn was about 73 per cent of total khadi yarn production in 2006-07 followed
by woolen yarn (18 per cent) and silk yarn (8.8 per cent), while in the production of cloth, the
share of cotton khadi cloth was 58 per cent, followed by silk cloth (26 per cent) and woolen (17
percent) (Peter, 2014).

Figure 15-Khadi Production According to Variety (2004-07) (Peter, 2014)

16
In India there are different states who are the major producers of Khadi and below is the table of
the production distribution among the different states.

Figure 16-Major States Contributing for Khadi Production (2006-07) (Peter, 2014)

Below shows the Average Annual Turnover of Khadi Institutions from 2007 to 2008 with respect to
different types of products.

Figure 17-Average Annual Turnover of Khadi Institutions (2007-08) (Peter, 2014)

Today khadi has many faces which are not just restricted to cotton. Khadi is quite competitive now
depending on the style of the garment. Now many Indian fashion designers believe that Khadi is

17
India's answer to Egyptian cotton and linen. It falls well and becomes second skin after two washes.
It breathes, it has a self-texture. It has been blended with denim, wool, polyester, and silk with
good results. There is a need to re-educate the people about khadi. Khadi is truly relevant to our
times. It is an eco-friendly, non-synthetic, healthy fabric that makes good dressing sense. A part
of the warp and weft of India, khadi continues to be special in many ways. As the world moves
towards industrial fashion, this fabric of freedom continues to spin incomes for the rural poor while
reminding the country of its legacy of sustainable living and self-reliance.

Figure 18-Khadi India Fashion Show (Twitter, 2018)

18
KHADI AS A SUSTAINABLE FABRIC
When it comes to fashion, sustainability has become an important part of the industry as the
companies as well as consumers are moving towards eco-friendly textiles that are less harmful to
the environment.
As sustainable fashion has now become the part of mainstream conversations, Indian consumers
have become open to embracing clothing made out of eco-friendly raw materials. Thus, various
brands and designers are venturing into Khadi giving this humble fabric a modern makeover to
keep it relevant in 2020 (Khanna, 2020).

Figure 19-Khadi Fashion (textiletoday, 2019)

• The spinning of khadi uses no machines or energy and thus has a low carbon
footprint, needing no electricity or machines, or any kind of fuel for its manufacture.
• A meter of khadi fabric consumes three litres of water, while one meter of mill-produced
fabric requires 55 litres of the precious resource (Khanna, 2020).
• Menswear clothing brands like Peter England and Raymond have been working with
clusters to release khadi collections, and Arvind Ltd has invested heavily to create khadi
denim, one of the most sustainable denim variants in the world.

19
• Khadi has a potential of becoming a smart fabric with medicinal values by dying Khadi
with vegetable dyes and transform it by adding natural medicinal herbs like neem, tulsi,
mint, Carmon, thyme, kola kolsa etc (Businessworld, 2020).
• Khadi also contributes to the economy by providing employment to a large section of
our country. This sector has been doing the weaving of Khadi for generations.
Considering not only how skilled their hands are, combining them with the recent
development in technology can create fabrics that are not only eco-friendly but also
modern. Thus, revolutionising the industry by creating the Smart Khadi.

20
 KHADI VILLAGE AND INDUSTRIES COMMISION (KHADI GRAM
UDGYOG)

INTRODUCTION
KVIC is one of these specific establishments in India that hyperlinks the countries pasts, present
and destiny of its purposeful plane, through self- reliance and sustainability. These dual beliefs
have an undying relevance to India. And this relevance cannot be served without innovative
doctrine of helping grass root competencies, producing wider possibilities of rural employment,
make in India, constructing mechanisms of mutual help and defending our background assets.
Many ahead looking and rich countries have destroyed the wealth of indigenous humans and
indigenous cultures of their warfare for independence and progress. But India is one of these
extraordinarily rare nations that has by no means forsaken the purpose of indigenous socio- cultural
competencies, resources, ingenuousness, and satisfaction of background.

Needless to mention, Khadi gram Udyog is a depository of this inherent preference of our way of
life and governance.

Figure 20-KVIC Logo (govtjobguru, 2020)

21
Even inside this fidelity or motive and relevance to our manner or life. Khadi and merchandise of
village industries have catered to the requirements of converting times. Nearly a century ago, they
had sprung into the motion if impartial specialists and proved to the sector that India has center
electricity of swadeshi character and does not ought to rely upon the goods of a commercial
revolution of the west, which in essence changed into without a doubt propelled through our
electricity and resources. As we transitioned right into a section of being loose country, the spirit
of khadi stood steadfast as center industry, maintaining villages passionately on the coronary heart
of our increasing frame of monetary being.

By the flip of the remaining century, khadi had entered the lives of that era of folks who had been
born post- independence and changed into being examined as an array of merchandise that would
match the experience of favor and modernity. Khadi and the fabricated from villages industries
have stood the look at of giant social media glare and net primarily based totally commercial
enterprise in which the sector merchandise are made available to for the duration of fingertips. The
experience of elation is that even within side the presence of this extraordinarily dominating
interne t primarily totally based market, khadi and village industries merchandise have registered
better income.

22
ABOUT THE COMPANY

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (The complete shape of KVIC) plans, promotes,
organizes, and implements packages for the improvement of Khadi and different village industries
in rural regions nationwide. KVIC additionally allows in constructing up reserve of organic matter
to provide it to producers. The commission focuses on introduction of generic services centers for
processing of primal material, together with semi-completed goods. KVIC has additionally helped
in introduction of employment in Khadi industry.

Functions

• Building up of a reserve of primal material and implementation for endowing it to producer.

• Formation of generic carrier centers for processing of primal substances that encompass
semi-completed goods.
• Promoting the sale and advertising and marketing of Khadi and Village Industries products,
in addition to handicrafts
• Promoting studies within side the village industries region associated manufacturing
strategies and equipment
• Providing monetary help to people and establishments for the improvement and operation
of Khadi and Village industries

Objectives of KVIC

1. The Social Objective – Providing employment in rural areas.

2. The Economic Objective – Providing saleable articles.
3. The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance among human beings and constructing up
a robust rural network spirit.

Figure 21-Charkha being distributed among Artisans (kvic, 2018)

23
GROWTH RATE OF KVIC

Figure 22-Khadi Production & Sales (kvic, 2018)

The above table shows the Khadi Production & Sales Statistics for the year 2004-17. There were
728 new outlets funded for modernization from 2015-16.

Figure 22-Average Khadi Sales (kvic, 2018) Figure 23-Sales Outlets (kvic, 2018)

24
 Figure 23-Production of Khadi Fabric (kvic, 2018) Figure 24-Average Export of Khadi Products (kvic, 2018)

Figure 25-Distribution of Solar Charkhas (kvic, 2018) Figure 26-Charkha Distribution (kvic, 2018)

25
 Figure 27-Internal Resource Generation (kvic, 2018)

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) reported that its turnover crossed Rs 74,323
crore in 2018-19 with the sale of Khadi products witnessing a growth of over 145 per cent since
2014-15. The Khadi production, which was Rs 879.98 crore in 2014-15, went up to Rs 1,902 crore
in 2018-19, a growth of more than 100 per cent, and its sales recorded a growth of over 145 per
cent, from Rs 1,310.9 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 3,215.13 crore in 2018-19, according to a statement
issued by the KVIC.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena quoted, “Even the Village Industries reached Rs 71,123.68
crore in 2018-19 with respect to the turnover of Rs 31,965.52 crore in 2014-15, with a growth rate
of 123 per cent. Khadi has made an average jump of 62 per cent in Khadi fabric production in the
last five years, that is, from 103.22 million square meters in 2014-15 to 170.80 million square
meters in 2018-19. In the fiscal 2014-15, the share of Khadi in overall textile production was 4.23
per cent, which, in the year 2018-19, has gone up to 8.49 per cent, which is almost the double
(Financialexpress, 2019).

KVIC had provided over 32,000 new model charkhas (spinning wheels) and 5,600 modern looms,
which increased the Khadi production. 376 new Khadi institutions have been added, along with
over 40,000 new Khadi artisans. The KVIC has also created employment through Khadi in the

26
remotest parts of the country such as Leh, Ladakh, the Kaziranga forest, the Sundarbans in West
Bengal etc.
Major textile corporates like Raymond’s, Arvind Mills and Aditya Birla Textiles have partnered
up with KVIC. which increased Khadi sales manifold. The KVIC also brought major PSUs into
the Khadi-fold for purchasing Khadi gift coupons for their employees, which has given business
of over Rs 100 crore.

27
PROGRESS

More than 3 fourth of employment generated by Khadi Gram Udyog (KVIC) within side the
village industries sector. There are 152 villages industries merchandise as their transacted item,
which encompass a huge variety of cloth with inside the classes of oil, soaps, cosmetics,
medication, beverage, consumable, ingredients substances. The Commission has secured even
GST concessions on numerous merchandise that guide Health and human welfare, along with olive
oil, green tea, honey. Since 2015 there had been concerted efforts to sell the village industries
merchandise and are being given higher visibility area in all the income outlets. The sales from the
village institutes merchandise stood at Rs 31,154 crores at some stage in 2013-14, has improved
to Rs 49,997 at some stage in 2016-17. The Multii-disciplinary schooling centers of KVIC had
been advised to prioritize Capacity constructing programs that hone up the capabilities.

KVIC has an in- residence capability of excellence in numerous fields like bee keeping, pottery
and bakery. The commission through prioritized activities created an extra employment of 12.14
lakes among 2015 and 2017. Since 2015, the khadi and village industries manufacturing has
improved by 63% and the sale of merchandise with the aid of using 67%.

Figure 28-Khadi Spinning (textiletoday, 2019)

28
SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS BY KVIC

The vision and prescient of KVIC mandates that possibilities are allotted broadly throughout the
country, irrespective of geographical or social circumstances.

With SUSTAINABILITY being the foremost recognition of KVIC, numerous efforts are been
taken up:

Replan:

• KVIC has commenced production plastic-blended hand-crafted paper beneath Neath its
assignment REPLAN (REducing PLAstic in Nature).
• Its pursuits to make carry bags through blending processed and handled plastic waste with
cotton fibre rags with-inside the ratio 20:80.
• The made paper is believed to have desirable energy and durability. It may be used to make
carry bags, great tissues and different paper-primarily totally based items.

Terracotta grinder:

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has released the first-ever ‘Terra cotta
Grinder’ at Varanasi.

• It grinds the wasted and damaged pottery gadgets for re-the usage of in pottery-making.
• Earlier the wasted pottery was grinder in ordinary khal-musal (mortar and pestle), and its
first-rate powder combined with the ordinary clay.
• Mixing this powder in stipulated ratio to ordinary clay makes the ensuing pottery grinder
stronger.
• This Terra cotta grinder will make grinding of wasted pottery items quicker than the
conventional mortar and pestle.
• It will reduce the cost of production and will assist in fixing the trouble of scarcity of clays.
• By blending 20 percentage of this wasted terra cotta powder, the potter will make a saving
of at the least Rs 520. This may even create extra process possibilities within-side the
villages.

29
Establishment of University for sustainable rural development:

The large demographic shift from rural to city regions within-side the current instances if it is not
moderately managed. Firstly, the food safety of India could be deeply affected. Secondly, the
agricultural skills, talents, capacities, industriousness, heritage, production, and all associated
social- monetary attributes, and values might be regularly disappeared. Thirdly, the stability among
males and females’ interrelationships that characterize rural lifestyles will go through this
demographic imbalance and that would upscale the outcomes of weather and upstage our extensive
country wide sustainable goals. With this transformational vision, KVIC set up USRD.

Initiatives taken by the KVIC to promote khadi

Government has taken several measures through Khadi and Village Industries Commission
(KVIC), to make Khadi an international brand. Details of the initiatives taken are as follows:

• To ensure genuineness of Khadi “Khadi Mark” has been launched by Government of India

• Govt. of India has extended KVIC, the status of Deemed EPC, for supporting promotion
of Khadi and Village Industries products in international market.

• 1088 Khadi & Village Industries Institutions and REGP/PMEGP Units have taken its
membership to enter the field of export.

• Tie ups with institutions like Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO), World
Trade Centre (WTC), Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), Trade Promotion
Council of India etc., for providing business opportunities in the foreign market by
conducting exhibitions and workshops for Khadi Institutions.

• Government of India also did tie-ups with NIFT for bringing out good designs and quality
products for the export.

• KVIC exhibited Khadi products on 72nd Independence Day celebrations on 15th August
2018 in 10 Indian Consulates abroad.

30
• Exhibited/Promoted Khadi products under an activity of “Global Khadi” on
the celebration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 57 Indian Embassies/
Missions abroad.
• A separate HS code for 22 items of Khadi product is also requested from the Ministry of
Commerce for recognizing the potential of export of KVI products and to provide unique
identity to the products.
• KVIC engaged fashion designer to make Khadi products more competitive and appealing
in the domestic as well as international market segment.

Figure 29-Khadi Weaving (buildanest, 2020)

31
 INDIAN HANDICRAFTS INDUSTRY IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION
Indian Handicraft Industry plays an important role in economy of the country. Industry has cultural
value and represents the richness of Indian Culture, Tradition, and Heritage. It preserves heritage,
traditional skills and the Indian handicrafts industry is highly labor intensive, cottage based and
decentralized industry.
It is one of the largest employment generators and has a significant share in the country’s export.
There has been a growth of 20% over the years and the industry has emerged as one of the major
contributors for export and foreign revenue generation.
The Indian handicrafts industry is divided in more than seven million regional artisans and over
67,000 exporters/export houses promoting regional art and craftsmanship in the domestic and
global markets.
Indian handicrafts are exported in different countries, and the top 10 destinations are US, the UK,
the UAE, Germany, France, Latin American countries (LAC), Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and
Australia.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT IN THE INDUSTRY

Government of India has increased incentive rates under the Merchandise Export from India
scheme (MEIS) from 5% to 7% for handicrafts, which will help the exporters to recover costs
involved in the production of handicrafts and lead to competitive pricing and boost export.

In September 2020, fund of Rs2.8 crores (US$ 0.38 million) was approved for the integrated
project for development and promotion of handicrafts of Varanasi by the Ministry of Textiles to
overcome the COVID-19 crisis faced by the artisans.

To support the local artisans and weavers, Amazon has announced Handicrafts Mela from
September 26, 2020 to October 10, 2020, which will help approximately 8 lakhs artisans and
weavers in the countries.

32
KHADI IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
Initially khadi was used as the political and symbol of nationalism for the people but with time the
scenario changed, and people started visualizing Khadi as a sustainable textile for their use.
Now a days, Khadi has become the favorite textile for the fashion houses. Large-scale apparel
manufacturers are collaborating with the KVIC to use khadi in new collections and product lines.
The Aditya Birla group launched ‘Khadi by Peter England' for its menswear brand in late 2017,
while Raymond also worked with 100 khadi clusters to launch a luxury collection called ‘Khadi,
the Story Re-Spun' in its Indian and international stores.
At Lakmé Fashion Week 2019, Raymond x Antar-Agni and House of Anita Dongre both
collaborated with UNDP in India and IMG Reliance for ‘Weaving Partnerships for Change’ and
showcased their collection of handwoven garments created by women weavers in Assam.
Arvind Limited has pledged to buy one million meters of the fabric every year to promote textiles
made of Khadi. The CEO of Arvind Limited says, “Our khadi denim was developed at KVIC-
authorized Khadi weaving centers and it important to support India's khadi clusters because the
complete livelihood of many people in certain places revolves around khadi”.
Khadi denim is possibly the world's most sustainable denim, because every process is done by
hand—therefore the carbon foot print is negligible.”

Figure 30-Khadi in Fashion (hindustantimes, 2016)

33
INDIAN DESIGNERS TO PROMOTE KHADI
The designers Neeta Lulla, Nachiket Barve, and Ritu Beri have come together to promote the use
of Khadi textiles and hosted the Khadi Designer Conference that aimed to elevate Khadi to the
global platform.
Neeta Lulla is an Indian Designer who uses Khadi in her designs. She also used khadi for the
costumes of the film, “Manikarnika” and has also used the weave in her ready to wear collections.
There is another designer named Nachiket Barve, who uses Khadi. According to him the fabric
should be “aspirational and repackaged" and that designers should not feel constrained by the
fabric. "The fabric needs to be bought out of desire and not a conscience of giving back to the
villages.
He also urged that educational institutes should be opened to promote Khadi.
Anavila Misra has been using khadi since the inception of her eponymous brand in 2011. She loves
the fall and feel and of both cotton and silk khadi, and uses the fabrics to make comfortable sari
blouses, saris, tunics, blouses and trousers.
Her latest spring/summer 2019 collection included khadi silk with crafts of block printing and
natural dyeing, and currently she is developing a superior cotton khadi for spring/summer 2020
In the luxury sector, various designers have created collections to give it a glamorous look.
Designers Abraham & Thakore source their khadi from clusters in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
For their spring/summer 2017 collection, they gave a metallic, laminated look to the fabric.
The famous Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been mastering khadi since 2002 and was
the first Indian designer to use Khadi for bridal couture, as well as costumes for movie stars
like Vidya Balan in Paa (2009), and Aishwarya Rai in Raavan (2010).
His spring/summer 2019 collection was a work of khadi. Combined with Indian jewelry and
flowers, they create a very potent and timeless image.

34
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE TEXTILE HANDICRAFT INDUSTRY

The textile industry is the second largest sector of global market, in terms of economic activities,
and the market is expected to reach USD 1,230 billion by 2024.

By sustainability in fashion we mean, providing value products to the customer that lasts for longer
period and reducing the wastage made during the production process and use environmentally
friendly practices and educate the customers about the same.

Sustainability in the textile and clothing industry is not just about using organic materials and
efficient processes. The textile chain consumes a huge amount of water and energy, along with the
use of various chemicals and harmful substances.

Figure 31-Sustainable Khadi (herzindagi, 2019)

Most of the textile industries discharge a huge amount of harmful waste, that is a threat to the
environment.

35
The textile industry needs to keep track of sustainability at every step of its production. It can be
outlined to include the following measures.
• Utilization of natural resources in production processes.
• Availability of raw materials which are sustainable in nature
• Handling the use of chemicals in the production process.
• Disposal and treatment of waste material
• Taking care of the necessary guidelines to eliminate health-risks of workers, as well as
consumers
• Animal cruelty norms in the procurement of the natural textiles.

36
 PRIMARY DATA ON CONSUMERS’ PREFERENCE REGARDING
KHADI COLLECTED BY SURVEY

As a part of our business idea, we planned to link our idea with the Textile Handicraft industry,
and we chose “Khadi” to take forward our idea. We conducted a survey on the sample size of 51
people, to know more about their awareness towards the craft and their preferences.

Based on the survey, we found out that majorly 66.7% belonged to the age group of 20-30, 15.7%
of them belonged to age group of below 20 while 9.8% are from the age group of 30-40.

37
Out of 51 people, 43.1% of the population is male and 54.9% were females.

Through our primary research, we found out that large number of people were aware about the
Khadi textile and the recorded percentage was 92.2 % (people aware of the textile) and only 7.8%
were unaware about the same.

38
The research revealed that approximately 68.6% of the people preferred Khadi Cotton, 47.1% of
them chose Khadi Silk while 43.1% and 23.5% preferred Woolen Khadi and Ponduru Khadi,
respectively.

The research reflected that in India a good number of people were aware of the handloom and
power loom Khadi yet there is a huge percentage of population who are not aware about it,
approximately 51% of them knew about it while 49% of the people do not know.

39
About 55.3% of the people preferred hand-made quality of Khadi over the cheap power loom
Khadi available now a days.

According to the research, approximately 58.8% of the people considered the price of the Khadi
products as “reasonable” while 29.4% of them marked it as “costly”.

40
Further the survey revealed the availability of Khadi products to the consumers, and it was noted
the 62.7% of the people agreed to the easy availability of the of the product while 37.3% of them
put forward the problem of non-availability.

Through our survey we tried to find out that from where people prefer to purchase the Khadi
products. We noted that about 52.9% of the people preferred Khadi Gram Udyog for their purchase
while 31.4% of them preferred the brand FabIndia. So, we can conclude that these two brands are
the key players in the market for the sale of Khadi products.

41
From our Survey data, we got to know about the loyalty of the customers towards the Khadi
products. We figured out that approximately 51% of the people were using Khadi Products for
more than two years, 11.8% used the products from two years, 23.5% of them used it for a year
and about 13.7% have not used any products yet.

The survey revealed the factors that influence the purchasing decisions of the customers. Most of
the agreed on the point that they need good quality and texture of the product when it comes to
purchasing Khadi.

When the consumers were asked about when they prefer wearing Khadi clothes, 45.1% of the
people revealed that they like to wear Khadi in all weathers, and 27.5% of them preferred it for
warm weather while 19.6% of them wore it in cold weather.

42
Through the survey we got to know that many people feel that Khadi plays an important role in
the Indian Economy and it needs to be developed and when asked about their preference about

43
buying Khadi garment then most of them showed their interest in purchasing khadi products in the
future.

The survey also revealed about the awareness regarding the products offered by Khadi. About
74.5%, 56.9%, 31.4%, 23.5%, 33.3%, 35.3% were aware about Khadi Clothing, Khadi Mask,
Khadi Fabric Footwear, Bath & body products, Bedsheets, Khadi woolens, respectively.

This Concludes the survey regarding the Awareness of Khadi Fabric. One could say that Khadi is
one of the most important handicraft textiles of India and has a sense of pride and Nationalism
associated with it making it an integral part of our lives.

44
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
(2011). Retrieved from fibre2fashion: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-
article/5429/khadi-pride-of-india
(2016). Retrieved from hindustantimes: https://www.hindustantimes.com/photos/fashion-and-
trends/for-a-noble-cause-a-fashion-show-promoting-khadi-social-inclusion/photo-
C64rEJJK4mqTSBMJqVdVhJ.html
(2017). Retrieved from thebetterindia: https://www.thebetterindia.com/95608/khadi-history-
india-gandhi-fabric-freedom-fashion/
(2017). Retrieved from yarnyarn: https://www.yarnyarn.co.uk/blogs/news/indigo-dyed-khadi-
cotton-yarns-on-the-way-ethical-and-sustainable-yarn-production
(2018). Retrieved from Faridagupta: https://www.faridagupta.com/blog/things-to-know-about-
khadi-
fabric.html#:~:text=Khadi%20fabric%2C%20also%20known%20as,he%20led%20the%2
0Swadeshi%20Movement.
(2018). Retrieved from jaminidesign: https://www.jaminidesign.com/en/smartblog/80_Le-Khadi-
la-matiere-revolutionnaire.html
(2018). Retrieved from kvic:
http://www.kvic.gov.in/kvicres/update/e_Book/mobile/index.html#p=13
(2018). Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvicindia/status/1078645915634659328
(2019). Retrieved from khadicotton: https://khadicotton.com/different-types-of-khadi-fabric/
(2019). Retrieved from textiletoday: https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/khadi-can-uphold-
countrys-traditional-industry-world/
(2019). Retrieved from Financialexpress: https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/khadi-
records-145-per-cent-growth-in-5-years-turnover-crosses-rs-74323-cr-in-2018-
19/1678263/
(2019). Retrieved from textiletoday: https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/wp-
content/uploads/2019/02/Khadi-Bangladesh.jpg
(2019). Retrieved from herzindagi: https://www.herzindagi.com/fashion/what-you-need-to-
know-about-khadi-future-of-sustainable-fashion-article-130463#
(2020, April). Retrieved from becauseofnature:
https://www.becauseofnature.com.au/blogs/news/the-khadi-revolution
(2020). Retrieved from Businessworld: http://www.businessworld.in/article/Khadi-The-Future-
Of-Sustainable-Fashion/29-09-2019-176705/
(2020). Retrieved from Vogue: https://www.vogue.in/fashion/content/khadi-saris-designer-
lehengas-and-vibrant-shararas-this-what-sabyasachi-brides-of-2020-will-be-wearing
(2020). Retrieved from govtjobguru: https://govtjobguru.in/answer-key/kvic-executive-answer-
key-2020/
(2020). Retrieved from buildanest: https://www.buildanest.org/preserving-indias-khadi-tradition-
with-anuprerna/
Khanna, J. M. (2020). Retrieved from Vogue: https://www.vogue.in/fashion/content/why-khadi-
is-one-of-the-most-sustainable-fabrics-to-consider-now
Kuriakose, S. (2019, February 9). Retrieved from India Today: https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-
today/story/khadi-the-fabric-for-india-s-fashionable-and-young-1451881-2019-02-09
Peter, P. (2014). Khadi & Village Industry: A Case Study of Khadi Institutions in India.
Retrieved from

45
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272305855_Khadi_Village_Industry_A_Case_
Study_of_Khadi_Institutions_in_India
theculturetrip. (2018). Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/the-story-of-
khadi-indias-fabric/

46