Health ministry to buy Rs. 150 crore khadi products for hospitals
Government push has ensured there is huge surge in demand of khadi products but KVIC has been able to keep up with the pace when it comes to production.
New Delhi, Feb 17: The health ministry has ordered at least 23 central government hospitals across India to purchase khadi products for the hospitals. The institutions include Nimhans Bengaluru, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Chandigarh and AIIMS. The hospitals are to buy good worth at least Rs. 150 crore.
The order circulated by the health ministry include 45 items like blankets, soaps, curtains, gowns for patients and doctors. The list has been provided to hospitals and autonomous institutes associated with the health ministry.
The list of 45 items was finalised last year on the basis of recommendations of a committee. This order from central government hospitals will be largest institutional order for Khadi and Village Industries Commission. The commission is responsible for promoting khadi in India.
Since
Narendra
Modi
government
came
to
power
KVIC
has
bagged
many
big
orders
from
government
companies
and
departments.
The
previous
big
orders
got
by
KVIc
are
Rs.
52
crore
order
from
ONGC
and
Rs.
42
crore
from
Indian
Railways.
The
Rs.
150
crore
order
from
hospitals
will
account
for
over
7
percent
of
KVIC's
annual
sales
for
the
present
year.
KVIC
however
maintains
that
most
of
the
orders
it
receives
do
not
come
from
such
nominations
but
through
a
competitive
process.
Khadi
products
worth
a
little
over
Rs.
1500
crore
were
sold
previous
year
and
the
sales
this
year
is
expected
to
be
35
per
cent
more
than
the
last
year.
KVIC says that its sales have increased over last few years thanks to the government push to promote khadi. KVIC chairman V K Saxena confirmed the big order from health ministry and said that, "The ministry of health adopting khadi for hospitals and staff is a significant symbol of khadi being the most natural and organic skin friendly fabric. J P Nadda's example of prescribing khadi for medical staff will result in purchases of Rs. 150 crore by the health ministry. It will have a compounding effect of livelihood support it gives to khadi artisans."
The problem faced by KVIC thanks to rise in demand is time lag in meeting the demand. KVIC has not been able to push the speed of production.
OneIndia News