New Delhi, 16 Nov (KNN) Union Minister for MSME, Narayan Rane and MoS Bhanu Pratab Singh Verma started off the NSIC Pavilion and Khadi India pavilion yesterday at the 40th India International Trade Fair (IITF) being held at Pragati Maidan in the presence of B. B Swain, Secretary MSME and Alka Nangia Arora, CMD, NSIC.

More than 121 MSEs from across the country are participating in the NSIC pavilion such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, Haryana, West Bengal, Telangana, etc.

Products like handicrafts, textile, food products, leather, gems & jewellery, furnishing, embroidery & laces, paper products, herbal & ayurvedic/unani, inlay paintings, hair products, etc are on display.

While the Khadi India pavilion depicts the theme of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which comprises 50 stalls set up by Khadi artisans and Khadi institutions from 20 states and union territories, showcasing the finest handcrafted Khadi and Village Industry products.

KVIC has given top priority to women artisans giving 18 (36%) of the total stalls to women. 10 of these stalls have been set up by artisans of Delhi while Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka have 5 stalls each.

MSME Minister Rane lauded the KVIC for its employment generation initiatives. He said, KVIC is doing excellent work by creating self-employment across the country and thereby strengthening the rural economy.

Chairman KVIC Saxena said, the Khadi products on display in the Khadi India pavilion symbolize Swadeshi and India’s stride towards self-reliance, particularly in the post-Covid scenario. He said, Khadi is the biggest symbol of swadeshi.

There are variety of Khadi and Village Industry products being displayed at the IITF indicates the strengthening of India’s domestic manufacturing sector and the rural economy.

Live demonstration of Pashmina weaving, pottery making, beekeeping, handmade paper making, Agarbatti making, footwear making, etc. is being done at the Khadi India pavilion to educate and motivate youths to take up self-employment activities. A special facilitation desk will also guide the budding entrepreneurs about setting up manufacturing / service units under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP).

A wide range of village industry products like the innovative Khadi Prakritik Paint made of cow dung, leather goods, premium varieties of honey, cosmetics, handcrafted tribal jewellery, bamboo products from Assam, herbal medicines, papad, dry fruits, etc. are attracting the visitors.

Eco-friendly agarbatti made from waste flowers collected from temples too attracted a large number of visitors.