The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inaugurated the first “Patola Saree” production unit in Gujarat.

• Patola is the trademark saree of Gujarat. They are highly expensive and were once worn only by royal aristocratic families. With the new plant, the cost is expected to come down.
• The Patola silk was founded by the Salvi caste (Scheduled) in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. They moved to Gujarat in 12^th century in order to acquire patronage of Rajputs.
• Among all silk varieties in India, Patola sarees are among the top 5 silk sarees.

The idea behind the installation of new plant is to buy cocoon from the states of Karnataka and West Bengal and process them in the plant. This will help reduce the cost of production to a great extent.