Issues with Khadi

Issues with Khadi

Background:
• Genuine khadi or khaddar is woven from short-stapled organically grown cotton.
• The beauty is in its uneven texture and colours, as cotton bolls are not all pure white in every region.
•  Fabrics being made today in the name of khadi are modified spin-offs that look more like handloom fabric, with mill-produced yarn, screen printed and often mixed with mill-made polyester.

Issues
• According to the Khadi Mark Regulations (KMR) of 2013, no textile can be sold or otherwise traded by any person or institution as khadi or a khadi product in any form if the khadi mark tag issued by KVIC is missing.This restricts the scope of trade to a few approved entities, thereby creating recognisable barriers to enter the market for khadi.
• The certification process described in Chapter V (Clause 20 (a)) of the KMR requires accredited agencies to perform an on-site verification of hand-spinning and hand-weaving processes.”
• Yarn must be procured only from KVIC depots or the Cotton Corporation of India, descriptions of mechanisation and electrification are ambiguous.There are so many restrictions that most producers have no incentive and many small bodies are unable to pay Rs 50,000 for certification.
• Hand-spinning and weaving are also part of craft skills. Only the hand-spun part is additional in khadi.But today KVIC, on its website and in its catalogue, has visibly non-hand-spun silk-printed saris, polyester fabrics and others that seem clearly machine-printed.The KVIC online catalogue has products like industrially-made suitcases, bags and wallets which are under MSME, but with a “khadi” label.
• This points to the need for bringing khadi and all handicrafts together in one ministry.

Conclusion
• Gandhi did not intend to create a police state for the khadi sector, full of acts and rules that put production in a straitjacket. Perhaps, some courageous producers can try circumventing all this by using the word “khaddar” on their labels instead.