OKVIB to promote khadi products with Karnataka

The Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board (OKVIB) has decided to jointly promote khadi products with Karnataka, which excels in cotton khadi items. The efforts is not to just promote khadi but also share understanding and expertise in terms of knowledge and technology transfer, while implementing steps for the growth of khadi institutions in Odisha.

While OKVIB also believes that khadi products from Odisha can find a place on the shelves of several khadi outlets run in Karnataka, on the other hand, it wants to take back lessons learnt from these khadi enterprises in terms of product manufacturing practices, designing and marketing strategies, back to Odisha.

As of now, there are only around 40 khadi societies operational in the entire state of Odisha with majority of them dealing with silk. The few cotton khadi societies concentrate more on producing lungis and gamchas. However, the industry body asserts that while there is a huge opportunity that could be tapped in the state, low wages is posing a major hurdle to its growth. Khadi workers get as low as Rs 1.25 for spinning a thread hank of 1,000 metre against Rs 3 or more in other states like Karnataka.

Now OKVIB has appealed to chief minister Naveen Patnaik for wage revision, while roping in Bangalore-based Odia fashion designers Sanjat Mishra and Sujit Meher for guiding design and development of khadi products in Odisha. It also plans to provide modern spinning wheels to the units. It has procured 125 eight-spindle spinning wheels that would be provided to societies in Balikuda, Ganjam, Sonepur and Kanas.