Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 112th Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, highlighted the significant growth in handloom and khadi sales, emphasizing its role in job creation, particularly for women.
PM said that Khadi Gramodyog’s business has surpassed 1.5 lakh crore rupees for the first time, with khadi sales alone increasing by 400%. “This rising sale of Khadi and handloom is creating a large number of new employment opportunities, primarily benefiting women associated with this industry,” the Prime Minister said.
Promoting the handloom industry as National Handloom Day (August 7) approaches, PM Modi said, “More than 250 women of Rohtak district of Haryana are associated with the handloom industry. Earlier, they used to run small shops and do minor work to make ends meet but everyone had a desire to move forward so they decided to join the Unnati Self Help Group and by joining this group, they got training in block printing and dyeing. These women are earning lakhs of rupees today; bed covers, saree and dupattas made by them have a huge demand in the market.”
The Prime Minister also promoted various regional handloom products, including Sambalpuri sarees from Odisha, Maheshwari sarees from Madhya Pradesh, and Bhuttico shawls from Himachal Pradesh. He encouraged citizens to support local artisans by using the hashtag #MyProductMyPride on social media.
Additionally, PM Modi discussed Project PARI (Public Art of India), praising its role in promoting emerging artists and enhancing public spaces through art.
“PARI means Public Art of India. Project PARI is becoming a big medium to bring emerging artists on one platform to make public art popular. These paintings and artworks on the walls, on the roadsides and in the underpasses are made by the artists who are associated with PARI. While this increases the beauty of our public places, it also helps in making our culture more popular,” PM Modi said.
Apart from 22 Indian languages and 29 dialects, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is broadcast in 11 foreign languages, including French, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Burmese, Baluchi, Arabic, Pashtu, Persian, Dari, and Swahili.
(Inputs from ANI)