New Delhi: A new agreement was reached between the Khadi Village Industries Commission and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to supply Khadi cotton cones to paramilitary forces, triggering Home Minister Amit Shah’s concept of a major indigenous campaign in paramilitary forces. The Khadi Village Industries Commission signed an MoU with the ITBP for the supply of 1.72 lakh Khadi cotton rugs every year.
The MoU was signed by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Khadi Village Industries Commission and DIG of ITBP in the presence of Mr. Vinay Kumar Saxena, Chairman, Khadi Village Industries Commission and Mr. Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and other officers of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) Signed
The agreement has been in place for a year after which it will be renewed again. The total value of 1.72 lakh rates is Rs 8.74 crore.
The agreement has been signed in connection with the Ministry of Home Affairs directing the paramilitary forces to encourage local products to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Self-reliant India’ campaign initiative. The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Nitin Gadkari welcomed the move.
As per the specification, Khadi Village Industries Commission will supply 1.98 meters long and 1.07 meters wide blue color rings. The artisans of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab will prepare these Khadi rates. After Khadi channels, products such as Khadi blankets, bed sheets, pillow covers, pickles, honey, papad and cosmetics will also be worked on.
Khadi Village Industries Commission Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena termed this as a historic step and said that this would not only encourage indigenous products in our forces but would also create large-scale additional employment for Khadi artisans. Mr. Saxena said, “Providing the best quality products to our jawans and ensuring their timely supply will be our top priority. Getting purchase orders from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is a matter of pride for Khadi artisans who are serving the soldiers of the country in their own way. “
The Khadi Village Industries Commission has constructed these cotton rugs based on the samples provided by the ATBP and has also been approved by the agency. These cotton rates prepared by the Khadi Village Industries Commission have also been certified by the North India Textile Research Organization (NITRA). NITRA is a unit of the Ministry of Textiles and is also recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Earlier, on 31 July last year, the Khadi Village Industries Commission had also signed an agreement with ITBP for the supply of crude condensed mustard oil which was successfully followed. The ITBP is the nodal agency appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to procure goods on behalf of all paramilitary forces in the country.