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KVIC appoints Ritu Beri as advisor to revive khadi
16 Jun '16
2 min read
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has appointed ace fashion designer Ritu Beri as its advisor as part of measures to attract youth to Khadi and revive the 'neglected' sector.
"Khadi was a neglected sector. Government of India is working very hard to revive this sector. We have launched various schemes. For example, we are now approaching government departments, private institutions, private companies to adopt Khadi and responses are very encouraging," KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena told reporters in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
When asked what steps they were taking to attract youth to Khadi, he said: "KVIC has appointed leading fashion designer Ritu Beri as advisor. She is advising and giving new designs to us, which will be appealing to youth. If you see, there is a buzz in youth also. If you visit our Delhi outlet only, you will see 50 per cent customers are youths."
He said the KVIC's vans are now going to colleges to sell khadi clothing and the results are encouraging. He also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as khadi's brand ambassador which is helping the product gain ground.
When it comes to pricing, Saxena said a wide range of price tags means that khadi if for everybody from commoners to connoisseurs.
"Our range starts from Rs 300 to Rs 3,000. But Ritu Beri designed cloth prices are different, we are launching very premium products also."
Two of India's largest public sector undertakings, Railways and Air India are also boosting the KVIC's coffers. Two months ago the Railways placed an order for khadi clothing products worth Rs 40 crore against previous orders of Rs 1 to 2 crores.
"Response from Air India to Khadi was poor earlier, now in the month of January this year, they gave an order of Rs 1.21 crore for supply of amenity kits which they supply to the business class passengers of international flights. Last week, we got another order worth Rs 8 crore from Air India, this is a very good sign," Saxena said.
The KVIC Chairman said he was making an endeavour to promote and project Khadi as a brand, as a product which is environmental-friendly and as a product which is good for the country. (SH)
"Khadi was a neglected sector. Government of India is working very hard to revive this sector. We have launched various schemes. For example, we are now approaching government departments, private institutions, private companies to adopt Khadi and responses are very encouraging," KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena told reporters in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
When asked what steps they were taking to attract youth to Khadi, he said: "KVIC has appointed leading fashion designer Ritu Beri as advisor. She is advising and giving new designs to us, which will be appealing to youth. If you see, there is a buzz in youth also. If you visit our Delhi outlet only, you will see 50 per cent customers are youths."
He said the KVIC's vans are now going to colleges to sell khadi clothing and the results are encouraging. He also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as khadi's brand ambassador which is helping the product gain ground.
When it comes to pricing, Saxena said a wide range of price tags means that khadi if for everybody from commoners to connoisseurs.
"Our range starts from Rs 300 to Rs 3,000. But Ritu Beri designed cloth prices are different, we are launching very premium products also."
Two of India's largest public sector undertakings, Railways and Air India are also boosting the KVIC's coffers. Two months ago the Railways placed an order for khadi clothing products worth Rs 40 crore against previous orders of Rs 1 to 2 crores.
"Response from Air India to Khadi was poor earlier, now in the month of January this year, they gave an order of Rs 1.21 crore for supply of amenity kits which they supply to the business class passengers of international flights. Last week, we got another order worth Rs 8 crore from Air India, this is a very good sign," Saxena said.
The KVIC Chairman said he was making an endeavour to promote and project Khadi as a brand, as a product which is environmental-friendly and as a product which is good for the country. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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