NEW DELHI, 13 SEPTEMBER, 2024 (GPN): Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) have signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under COEK 2.0 to take the New Khadi of New India to new heights and enhance its reach in domestic and international markets in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, NIFT will collaborate through the Khadi Center of Excellence 2.0 (COEK 2.0) to make the “Khadi brand” more popular and marketable. In addition, it will assist Khadi institutions with training, designing Khadi garments, renovating Khadi Bhavans, and developing new high-quality Khadi products. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Vatsalya Saxena, CEO, KVIC and Smt. Tanu Kashyap, Director General, NIFT in the presence of Manoj Kumar, Hon’ble Chairman, KVIC alongside S C L Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSME and Joint Secretary Vipul Goyal at the office located at Rajghat, Delhi on Friday 13, September.

Calling the MoU COEK-2.0 with NIFT a revolutionary step, Chairman KVIC Manoj Kumar said that it aims to create more sustainable and vibrant Khadi ecosystem for ‘Brand Khadi’ in line with the vision of PM Modi by focusing on design innovation, capacity building and market expansion. He reiterated said that this partnership will leverage NIFT’s expertise in fashion design, technology and market trends to make Khadi more attractive to the youth.

Under COEK, NIFT will soon complete the process of establishing a hub centre in New Delhi and spoke centers in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Guwahati, Panchkula, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar to strengthen the “Brand Khadi.” Additionally, initiatives like the Khadi Knowledge Portal, fashion shows, exhibitions, training programs for Khadi institutions, design catalogs, and the establishment of state-of-the-art sales outlets across the country, similar to the IIT Delhi campus, will further empower Khadi. A dyeing studio in Assam will also contribute to this effort. Soon, Khadi Knowledge Portal Version-2.0 will also be unveiled soon.

Chairman KVIC Manoj Kumar also shared that KVIC is committed to implement the motto of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ‘s ‘Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion and Khadi for Transformation’ and Viksit Bharat Abhiyan at the grassroots level. For this, the partnership with NIFT is a revolutionary step for Khadi. He further said that COEK will assist KVIC in building and designing new Khadi stores, formulate strategies as a think tank for KVIC and work closely with state offices of KVIC. Along with this, COEK will produce selected designs for retail sale through Khadi Bhawans and identify the shortcomings of Khadi institutions and organize capacity building training programs for Khadi workers. To strengthen the quality and brand power of Khadi, KVIC will spend around Rs. 25.17 crore through COEK over the next three years.

Officials and employees from the Ministry of MSME, KVIC, and NIFT were present at the MoU signing event.