New Delhi, September 18: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on Thursday extended the benefits of various employment generation schemes to nearly 1500 persons in 10 Indian cities to celebrate ‘Sewa Diwas’. The benefits were extended to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The KVIC organised 14 programs to expand the ambit of its welfare projects to create local employment. The KVIC also distributed 6 innovative cycle-mounted tea/coffee selling units under project DigniTEA in New Delhi. The cycle-mounted tea/coffee selling units were distributed to unemployed local youths with an aim to enable the tea-sellers to earn a respectable livelihood.
Apart from this, Union Minister of State for MSME Pratap Chandra Sarangi inaugurated an SFURTI cluster of 500 artisans for making hand-knotted carpets in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Among other programmes, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena launched six different programs in Varanasi that include the first Footwear Training cum Production Center in Varanasi for leather artisans (Mochi) in collaboration with Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI).
He also distributed electric potter wheels to 300 Kumhar families under Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana and 200 bee boxes to 20 farmers families under Honey Mission. The KVIC chairman also distributed 6 hand-operated Agarbatti making machines at Sewapuri Block in Varanasi under the Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission.
KVIC chairman said sustainable development though local employment generation has been the key focus of KVIC which is aligned with the Prime Minister’s commitment of ‘Job to Every Hand’ (Har Hath Me Kaam). “It is the inspiration and appeal of the Hon’ble Prime Minister that has taken Khadi to a new height. We are hopeful that he will continue to lead Khadi as its biggest brand ambassador,” Saxena said.