News Brief
Neglect Of Khadi By Opposition Governments After Independence Led To Unemployment, Says Amit Shah
Amit Shah (File Photo)
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday (3 October) said that had successive governments after Independence not neglected Khadi, the problem of unemployment would never have arisen in the country, reported The Hindu.
Addressing the Khadi Karigar Mahotsav in Haryana’s Rohtak, in the presence of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Shah recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s use of Khadi during the freedom struggle to promote Swadeshi, eradicate poverty, and build self-reliance.
“Mahatma Gandhi initiated ‘Khadi’, which brought about a revolutionary change in the lives of millions of weavers across the country,” he said.
Shah asserted that consistent promotion of Khadi since 1947 could have prevented unemployment.
Shah stated that after independence, opposition governments neglected Khadi and did nothing for its development.
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for revitalising the sector, Shah noted, “When Mr. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he resolved to revive ‘Khadi’. After becoming Prime Minister, Modi Ji encouraged the people of the country to use ‘Khadi’. In 2014-15, the turnover of ‘Khadi’ and Village Industries was Rs 33,000 crore, which has now increased to Rs 1.70 lakh crore.”
Later in Rohtak, while inaugurating the Sabar Dairy Plant, Shah said the Ministry of Cooperation, in coordination with States, had strengthened cooperative institutions and aimed to establish a cooperative society in every Panchayat by 2029.
He added that under White Revolution 2.0, over 75,000 new dairy societies would be created, alongside the strengthening of 46,000 existing ones.
At a separate event in Kurukshetra, Shah inaugurated a State-level exhibition on the new criminal laws and described them as “the biggest reform of the 21st century,” replacing colonial-era legislation.
