Employees of UP Khadi and village industries to wear khadi to office

Bapu's favourite khadi is the new dress code for officers and employees of Uttar Pradesh Khadi and Village Industries who have decided to wear clothes made out of the fabric in their offices.

A proposal would also soon be forwarded to the state government to make it mandatory for all officers and employees to wear khadi in other departments and schools, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Khadi and Gram Udyog Board S K Kakkar told PTI here in Lucknow.

"In a bid to promote khadi, employees of all the offices of the department will wear the fabric," he said.

"An order has been issued in this regard," he said, adding the order would be applicable to all officers and employees of the department right from the headquarters to the district level. However, it is not mandatory for all employees to wear the fabric.

"As the exercise has been started with the feeling of expressing intimacy towards khadi, it has not been made mandatory," Kakkar said.

He said during a recent meeting between Principal Secretary Satyajeet Thakur and departmental officers, all employees supported the idea of wearing the fabric in their respective offices and there was no dispute over it.

"Mahatma Gandhi said that khadi can connect the entire country. Working on this formula, we want that all government officers and employees should wear khadi in their offices," he

said.

"Our concept is that as the demand increases, the production will also increase proportionately and this will create employment opportunities," he said.

Minister of State for Khadi and Village Industry Riyaz Ahmad had said recently that a proposal to make kahdi mandatory in all departments and schools would be kept before the government, the DYCEO said.

He said the minister favoured making wearing of Khadi mandatory for all officers and employees.

However, the minister said that "if there was any problem in making it mandatory, then there should be an arrangement to at least give it priority," Kakkar said.

He said more and more people should adopt khadi so that this industry could be promoted.

At present, there are 512 khadi units in the state, including those of Khadi and Village Industries Commission and UP KVIB.

"In 2012-13 total production was worth Rs 179.3 crore against which the sale was of Rs 323.24 crore. Total employment was 6.56 lakh," he said.