Research driven innovations crucial in Khadi and Rural Industries
Digital enablement of MSME sellers in Khadi and village industries is important to boost exports and reign in the migration of population from rural regions to sub urban areas in search of employment opportunities.
Betting on research driven technological changes in Khadi clusters and other rural based small businesses, Minister of MSME, Nitin Gadkari, in a workshop organised at Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University at Wardha, Maharashtra marked the impact of flexibility in policy can make on the lives of people who depends on the regional crafts for their subsistence.
The Minister also noted that Khadi and Village Industries (KVIs) generate Rs 88,000 crore turnover on an annual basis. Khadi industry shared approximately 4211.26 crore of the total share. However, Village Industries had the lion’s share of Rs 84,675.39 crore. Last year targeted Rs 5 lakh crore turnover for KVIs in five years.
Pointing at the pressing need to find the solution to rural and urban conundrum and the migration of as much as 30 percent of rural population in suburban area in search for employment opportunity, he said, “government aims to increase the contribution of the MSME sector to India’s GDP from 30 per cent to 40 per cent so that rural based industry are benefited as khadi, small and village industries’ merchandise had seen a significant rise in sale over last few years.”
The need for socio-economic transformation cant be more marked that in present times, last year Walmart was also asked by the Minister to support MSMEs in khadi and village industries under the former’s Walmart Vriddhi supplier development programme to boost MSME exports.
Cover image by Economic Times
