Focus: GS II: Polity and Governance
Why in News?
For the first time in the history of independent India, the turnover of Khadi and Village Industries Commission products has crossed Rs.1.34 lakh crores figure.
About Khadi Village Industries Commission:
- Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body of the Indian Constitution.
- It comes under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
- It was established by Khadi and Village Industries Act, 1956. It has been amended twice, in 1965 and 2006.
Objectives of KVIC
The broad objectives of the Khadi Village and Industries Commission encompassing self-reliance and sustainability are:
- To boost employment in the country.
- To promote the promotion and sale of Khadi articles
- To cater to the self-reliance doctrine of the country by empowering underprivileged and rural sections of the society.
Functions of KVIC
The following are the functions of Khadi Village and Industries Commission:
- It plans, promotes, organizes, and implements programmes for the development of Khadi and Village Industries (KVI).
- It coordinates with multiple agencies that are engaged in rural development for several initiatives w.r.t khadi and village industries in rural areas.
- It maintains a reserve of raw materials that can be further promoted in the supply-chain.
- It aids in creating common service facilities that help in processing of raw materials.
- It aids the marketing of KVI products through artisans and other avenues.
- It creates linkages with multiple marketing agencies for the promotion and sale of KVI products.
- It encourages and promotes research and development in the KVI sector.
- It brings solutions to the problems associated with the KVI products by promoting research study and enhancing competitive capacity.
- It also helps in providing financial assistance to the individuals and institutions related to the khadi and village industries.
- It enforces guidelines to comply with the product standards to eliminate the production of ingenuine products.
- It is empowered to bring projects, programmes, schemes in relation to khadi and village industries’ development.
