Khadi Board looking to ramp up production

Assam Economy

The Assam Khadi and Village Industries Board (AKVIB) is looking to ramp up production with a view to increase its sales and profit margin.
Sources said that the Board has set a target to produce at least 50,000 square metres of material, including khadi clothes and yarn, during the current 2018-19 fiscal as against 11,710 square metres in 2017-18.
Aim is to sell products worth at least Rs two crore this financial year.
AKVIB had sold textiles worth Rs 1.5 crore in the last fiscal.
There are a total of 40 khadi production centres and 38 khadi outlets in Assam.

New Initiatives:

A number of the production centres have been shifted to new facilities, while many of the outlets have been renovated and given a new look.
New automatic handlooms are being introduced across the production centres which are being operated alongside the traditional ones to produce better quality khadi material. Sources said that the aim is to provide better quality products to the customers.
Sources said that lack of innovation with regard to design of khadi items as well as use of outdated equipments have affected production and sale of khadi products in the State during recent times.
AKVIB is also keen to set up franchisee outlets to sell products produced by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
Along with that, the Board is also focusing on introducing new designs, especially with a view to attract the young and upwardly mobile customers.
There are modern mustard oil production centres in 11 places in the State under the Board. Around 100 more such centres are to be established across the State. Among other places, the new centres will come up Noonmati and Hengrabari localities of Guwahati, besides Bongaigaon, Nazira, Raha, Majuli, Disangmukh and Chaigaon
It is noteworthy that AKVIB is undertaking the ambitious scheme to distribute khadi clothes to all the four lakh State Government employees.

KVIC

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed by the Government of India, under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'.
It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to - "plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.".
In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board. The First Director of KVIC was Late Sardar KA Venkataramaiya, a veteran freedom fighter from Karnataka.
Its head office is based in Mumbai but challenged by Naresh Kadyan, Secretary General, National KVIB Employees Federation, to shift HQ to Delhi, whereas its six zonal offices in Delhi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati. Other than its zonal offices, it has offices in 29 states for the implementation of its various programmes