The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi participated in Khadi Utsav at the Sabarmati River Front, Ahmedabad today. Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel, Member of Parliament, Shri C R Patil, State Minister, Shri Harsh Sanghvi and Shri Jagdish Panchal, Mayor of Ahmedabad, Shri Kiritbhai Parmar and Chairman of KVIC, Shri Manoj Kumar were those present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister recalled his personal connection with Charkha and remembered his childhood when his mother used to work on Charkha. He said, “The bank of Sabarmati has become blessed today as on the occasion of 75 years of independence, 7,500 sisters and daughters have created history by spinning yarn on a spinning wheel together.” He added that spinning on charkha is nothing short of worship.
He noted the technology and design excellence of the ‘Atal Bridge’ that he inaugurated today. He said that the bridge is a tribute to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was always loved and revered by the people of Gujarat. “Atal Bridge is not only connecting the two banks of the Sabarmati river, but it is also unprecedented in design and innovation. The famous kite festival of Gujarat has also been taken care of in its design”, he said. Shri Modi also noted the enthusiasm with which the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign was observed in India. He said celebrations here reflected not only the patriotic feeling but also reflected the resolve for a modern and developed India. “Your hands, while spinning yarn on the Charkha are weaving the fabric of India”, he added.
The Prime Minister said, “History bears witness that a thread of Khadi became the force of freedom movement, it broke the chains of slavery.” He further added that the same thread of Khadi can become a source of inspiration to fulfil the promise of a developed India and thereby fulfilling the dream of a self-reliant India. “A traditional strength like Khadi can take us to new heights”, he said. This Khadi Utsav is an effort to revive the spirit and history of the freedom movement and an inspiration to achieve the resolutions of New India, he added.
He recalled his Panch-Prans that he proclaimed on 15th August, from the Red Fort. “At this holy place, on the banks of Sabarmati, I want to repeat the Pancha-Pranas. First - the great goal in front of the country, the goal of making a developed India. Second - the complete abandonment of the slavery mentality. Third - taking pride in our heritage, Fourth- making strong efforts to increase the unity of the nation, and Fifth- civic duty. He said that today’s Khadi Utsav is a beautiful reflection of the ‘Panch Prans’.
The Prime Minister dwelled on the neglect of Khadi in the period after independence. “At the time of the freedom movement, Khadi, which Gandhiji made the symbol of the country's self-respect, was infused with an inferiority complex after independence. Because of this, Khadi and the village industry associated with Khadi were completely destroyed. This condition of Khadi was very painful, especially for Gujarat”, he said. He expressed pride that the task of reviving Khadi took place on the land of Gujarat. The Prime Minister emphasised the pledge by the Government of ‘Khadi for Transformation’ to ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion’. He said, “We started spreading the Gujarat success experiences across the country.” The problems which were related to Khadi across the country were resolved. We encouraged countrymen to buy Khadi products. The Prime Minister also acknowledged the contribution of women in the process of revival of Khadi. “Women power is also a major contributor to the growing strength of India's Khadi industry. The spirit of entrepreneurship is ingrained in our sisters and daughters. The proof of this is also the expansion of Sakhi Mandals in Gujarat”, he added. He informed that in the last 8 years, sales of Khadi increased four times and for the first time, the Khadi and Gramodyog turnover crossed one lakh crore. The sector created 1.75 crore new jobs also. He said that the financial inclusion schemes like Mudra Yojana are boosting entrepreneurship.
Highlighting the benefits of Khadi, the Prime Minister said that it is an example of sustainable clothing, eco-friendly clothing and it has the least carbon footprint. There are many countries where the temperature is high, Khadi is also very important from the point of view of health. Hence, Khadi can play a huge role at the global level. He said this in sync with the growing trend of back to basic and sustainable living at the global level.
The Prime Minister appealed to the people of the country to gift only the products made in Khadi Village Industries in the upcoming festive period. “You can have clothes made of different types of fabrics. But if you give place to Khadi in that, then the Vocal for Local campaign will gain momentum”, the Prime Minister said.
Recalling that in the past decades, India's own prosperous toy industry was getting destroyed in the race for foreign toys, the Prime Minister highlighted that with the efforts of the government and the hard work of our brothers and sisters associated with the toy industries, the situation has now started changing. As a result, there is a huge decline in the import of toys.
The Prime Minister also asked people to watch the ‘Swaraj’ serial on Doordarshan. The serial depicts the story of the great freedom fighters and their struggle in great detail. Families should watch the series in order to understand and know about the sacrifice of our forefathers for our independence.
Khadi Utsav
It has been a constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to popularise Khadi, generate awareness about Khadi products and promote the use of Khadi amongst youth. As a result of the efforts of the Prime Minister, since 2014, the sale of Khadi in India has witnessed a four-fold increase, whereas, in Gujarat, the sale of Khadi has witnessed a massive eightfold increase.
In a one of its kind event being held as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Khadi Utsav is being organized to pay tribute to khadi and its importance during the freedom struggle. The Utsav will be organised at Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad and will witness 7500 women khadi artisans from various districts of Gujarat spinning charkha live at the same time and at the same place. The event will also feature an exhibition showcasing the “Evolution of Charkhas” by displaying 22 Charkhas from different generations used since the 1920s. It will include charkhas like “Yerwada Charkha” which symbolises the charkhas used during the freedom struggle, to the charkhas with the latest innovations and technology used today. A live demonstration of the production of Ponduru Khadi was also done. During the event, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the new office building of the Gujarat Rajya Khadi Gramodyog Board and ‘Atal Bridge’, a foot-over bridge at Sabarmati.
साबरमती का ये किनारा आज धन्य हो गया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
आजादी के 75 वर्ष पूरे होने के उपलक्ष्य में, 7,500 बहनों-बेटियों ने एक साथ चरखे पर सूत कातकर नया इतिहास रच दिया है: PM @narendramodi at 'Khadi Utsav'
अटल ब्रिज, साबरमती नदी को, दो किनारों को ही आपस में नहीं जोड़ रहा बल्कि ये डिजाइन और इनोवेशन में भी अभूतपूर्व है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
इसकी डिजाइन में गुजरात के मशहूर पतंग महोत्सव का भी ध्यान रखा गया है: PM @narendramodi
इतिहास साक्षी है कि खादी का एक धागा, आजादी के आंदोलन की ताकत बन गया, उसने गुलामी की जंजीरों को तोड़ दिया।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
खादी का वही धागा, विकसित भारत के प्रण को पूरा करने का, आत्मनिर्भर भारत के सपने को पूरा करने का प्रेरणा-स्रोत बन सकता है: PM @narendramodi
तीसरा- अपनी विरासत पर गर्व
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
चौथा- राष्ट्र की एकता बढ़ाने का पुरजोर प्रयास
पांचवा- नागरिक कर्तव्य: PM @narendramodi
15 अगस्त को लाल किले से मैंने पंच-प्रणों की बात कही है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
साबरमती के तट पर, इस पुण्य जगह पर मैं पंच-प्रणों को फिर दोहराना चाहता हूं।
पहला- देश के सामने विराट लक्ष्य, विकसित भारत बनाने का लक्ष्य
दूसरा- गुलामी की मानसिकता का पूरी तरह त्याग: PM @narendramodi
आजादी के आंदोलन के समय जिस खादी को गांधी जी ने देश का स्वाभिमान बनाया, उसी खादी को आजादी के बाद हीन भावना से भर दिया गया।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
इस वजह से खादी और खादी से जुड़ा ग्रामोद्योग पूरी तरह तबाह हो गया।
खादी की ये स्थिति विशेष रूप से गुजरात के लिए बहुत ही पीड़ादायक थी: PM
हमने खादी फॉर नेशन, खादी फॉर फैशन में खादी फॉर ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन का संकल्प जोड़ा।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
हमने गुजरात की सफलता के अनुभवों का देशभर में विस्तार करना शुरु किया।
देशभर में खादी से जुड़ी जो समस्याएं थीं उनको दूर किया।
हमने देशवासियों को खादी के product खरीदने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया: PM
भारत के खादी उद्योग की बढ़ती ताकत के पीछे भी महिला शक्ति का बहुत बड़ा योगदान है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
उद्यमिता की भावना हमारी बहनों-बेटियों में कूट-कूट कर भरी है।
इसका प्रमाण गुजरात में सखी मंडलों का विस्तार भी है: PM @narendramodi
खादी sustainable clothing का उदाहरण है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
खादी eco-friendly clothing का उदाहरण है।
खादी से carbon footprint कम से कम होता है।
बहुत सारे देश हैं जहां तापमान ज्यादा रहता है, वहां खादी Health की दृष्टि से भी बहुत अहम है।
इसलिए खादी वैश्विक स्तर पर बहुत बड़ी भूमिका निभा सकती है: PM
मैं देशभर के लोगों से एक अपील भी करना चाहता हूं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
आने वाले त्योहारों में इस बार खादी ग्रामोद्योग में बना उत्पाद ही उपहार में दें।
आपके पास अलग-अलग तरह के फैब्रिक से बने कपड़े हो सकते हैं।
लेकिन उसमें आप खादी को भी जगह देंगे, तो वोकल फॉर लोकल अभियान को गति मिलेगी: PM
बीते दशकों में विदेशी खिलौनों की होड़ में, भारत की अपनी समृद्ध Toy Industry तबाह हो रही थी।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 27, 2022
सरकार के प्रयास से, खिलौना उद्योगों से जुड़े हमारे भाई-बहनों के परिश्रम से अब स्थिति बदलने लगी है।
अब विदेश से मंगाए जाने वाले खिलौनों में भारी गिरावट आई है: PM @narendramodi
