New Delhi, Feb 20 (KNN) The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) has sent a detailed memo to Khadi Village & Industries Commission (KVIC) specifying strict guidelines to be adhered to in future.

The memo was sent after controversies erupted over Mahatma Gandhi's pictures were replaced with that of PM Narendra Modi in its diaries and calendars.

The memo has ordered the KVIC to henceforth send any such proposal for the approval of the PMO, routed through the ministry of MSME, which has administrative jurisdiction over KVIC.

"KVIC has to ensure that the office of ministers secretary is kept informed of any such major event activities which are undertaken by KVIC as part of its promotional activity," the memo of February 14 said.

It said that KVIC, in future, should send any such mails to the official email ids of the PS of the ministers, secretary and officers of the ministry.

"The private email ID should not be used for any official correspondence. The directives should be followed scrupulously," warned the memo, signed by KVIC deputy CEO YK Baramatikar.

Meanwhile, in a press note in January, KVIC had said, “it is informed that there is no policy for mandatory use of photograph of Mahatma Gandhiji on the Diary and Calendar of KVIC and the design and creative are prepared every year based on the requirements and the developments that took place in KVI Sector.”

During the current year 2017 the cover page of the Diary carried the photograph of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, since he was kind enough to grace the Khadi Event held at Ludhiana where he distributed 500 Charkhas to the needy Khadi artisans of Punjab and the same photograph was carried on the Diary as a source of encouragement to the KVI sector, the press note said.

In the photograph in the inner page of the Diary of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the bust of Mahatma Gandhiji is displayed prominently behind the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s photograph symbolizing the source of our inspiration.

The PM and the picture shows commitment to khadi at the highest level in the government, it said adding, “Needless to mention that Mahatma Gandhiji is the soul and essence of the Khadi movement and shall remain so forever in the heart of the artisans and KVI sector.”