History of Bharat Khadi Sevak Sangha

Khadi is hand spun, hand woven with natural fiber cloth. It occupies a special place in the country and abroad. Shri Mahatma Gandhi elevated the fragile thread of cotton to a symbol of strength and self-sufficiency and to provide employment for the millions during India’s freedom struggle. As a result of the boycott movement against the European clothing Khadi becomes most suitable for the rural Indians making them self-reliant.

It came out as an ideology where the production is for the mass, by the mass, of the mass. In the year 1925, Mahatma Gandhi pioneered the making of the All India Spinners Association which used to provide certificates to the Khadi Institutions who manufacture raw materials of Khadi Cotton Strings and also weave khadi clothing. Khadi silk saree is also made from these raw materials.

During the pre-independence period, all the freedom fighters used to weave their own cloth for themselves, as well as, spread it to the community at large. The British Government, seeing this development, felt threatened, and decided to ban the Khadi Movement in 1942.

After the independence, the first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1952, planned to include this industry in the first Five-Year Plan. This pro forma was handed over to Santh Vinovajee, who in turn, rejected the same, since according to him the scheme shall not be able to improve the socio-economic condition of the rural areas. Hearing this, Pandit Nehru called upon Santh Vinovajee to Delhi.  Santh Vinovajee walked from Pouneer Ashram to Delhi. Then, in consultation with him, the new All India Khadi Board was formed in 1953. In 1956, the Khadi Village Industries Commission (referred to as KVIC) was constituted and passed in the Parliament as an Act. Today khadi is used to make many products including kurtis. You can buy kurtis online for cheap.

Shri Vainkunth Lal Mehta – the famous Economist, was the first chairman of the KVIC. Another wing was formed in the name of Central Certification Section, in KVIC, which used to certify the activities of the Khadi units across India, and Register them under Societies Registration Act, 1860. There was a further amendment done to the Act in 1961.