KHDC plans to launch Heritage Silk sarees

Bangalore, Oct 24 (UNI) Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation plans to launch Heritage Silk Sarees in pure silk varieties of famous Ilkal and Molakalmur .

The sarees would be a blend of eco-friendly colours, traditional and contemporary art and history.

KHDC Managing Director S N Jayaram told reporters here today that the Corporation had initiated measures to introduce these sarees to attract the younger generation.

The Ilkal saree, which was earlier manufactured with a texture of cotton and silk would now be available in pure silk with a starting price of Rs 2500 and would also be introduced to all silk saree varieties, including Molakalmur products, as part of heritage sarees.

The KHDC plans to start ten more clusters on the lines of Gadag with eight in cotton belt of North Karnataka and two in silk region of Southern Karnataka.

Each cluster will be allocated funds from the Centre in the next five years and would house about 1,000 weavers with facilities for training and exchange of skills.

''KHDC had registered a record profit of Rs 4.37 crore during the last fiscal, the highest ever in its history since inception in 1975,'' Mr Jayaram told the reporters. The corporation had made profits after a gap of seven years.

He further praised KHDC by saying that it had become a good case study for having come out of the red last year under Deen Dayal Hathakarga Protsahan Programme. ''It was possible by reducing the administrative expenditure and cost of sales and proper use of inventory,'' he said.

''Under the programme, the government of Karnataka and the Centre released Rs 40 crore for corpus fund for KHDC which would be used for working capital of the corporation,'' Mr Jayaram said.

UNI