Posted On:
26 FEB 2026 1:28PM by PIB Thiruvananthpuram
Under the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to promote self-reliance and grassroots entrepreneurship, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) organised a distribution programme under the 'Gramodyog Vikas Yojana' at the Kerala Khadi & Village Industries Association, Avinissery, Thrissur. Chairman KVIC, Shri Manoj Kumar, distributed machines and toolkits to 400 artisans and beneficiaries engaged in traditional village industries to strengthen sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Chairman KVIC, Shri Manoj Kumar stated that, in line with the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to empower rural communities and create employment at the grassroots level, the assistance comprised 200 electric pottery wheels for pottery artisans, 100 bee boxes for beekeepers under Honey Mission, 40 waste wood toolkits for rural craft workers, 20 sewing machines for women beneficiaries and 40 fibre extraction machines for processing-based village industries.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman KVIC said, "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a new direction to Khadi and Village Industries by linking traditional skills with modern markets. Today's programme reflects his vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', where artisans are not job seekers but job creators. The tools being distributed today are instruments of dignity, livelihood and economic empowerment for rural families."
He further stated that under the Prime Minister's call for "Vocal for Local", village industries are emerging as a strong pillar of the rural economy and urged beneficiaries to adopt quality improvement, branding and digital marketing to take their products to national and global markets.
In Kerala, KVIC programmes are being implemented through 30 Khadi institutions covering 594 villages and supported by 547 sales outlets across the state. The Central Sliver Plant at Kuttur, Thrissur supplies raw material to more than 3000 Khadi institutions across India and the Multi-Disciplinary Training Centre provides skill development training to entrepreneurs. Under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme in the state, margin money grant of Rs 761.60 crore has been disbursed to 35276 units generating employment opportunities for 2,86,803 persons, demonstrating strong performance of the sector in Kerala.
Chairman KVIC, Shri Manoj Kumar said the initiative to promote Khadi and Village Industries products and expand market access for artisans is a significant step towards realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Vocal for Local'. He stated that under the Prime Minister's leadership, the "New Khadi of New India" is setting new benchmarks and contributing to the Viksit Bharat campaign. He informed that the Khadi and Village Industries sector has recorded a turnover of over 1.70 lakh crore in the last 11 years, generating employment for more than 2 crore persons. He added that Gram Swaraj-oriented schemes being implemented across the country have strengthened artisans' skills and promoted rural self-reliance.
Representatives of Khadi institutions, beneficiaries, Khadi workers and officers of the Kerala Government and KVIC were present on the occasion.
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SK