Harit Khadi – Solar Charkha Mission

New Khadi for New India – Creating Rural Livelihood through Solar Charkha Mission

It is the initiative of Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises/Khadi and Village Industries Commission/ Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan.

About Khnawan

Khanwan is the birthplace of the first chief minister of Bihar, Mr. Sri Krishna Singh, popularly called as Bihar Kesari. Honourable Minister of State for MSME Shri Giriraj Singh chose to adopt Khanwan village in Nawada district as the model village, under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna. Bhartiya Harita Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan launched its first pilot project with its training-cum-production centre from the Khanwan Village. The project aims to train poor women and youths who are unemployed or underemployed.

Field trials of solarised charkhas in Khanwan village of Nawada district in Bihar have been encouraging. BHKGS has trained more than 1500 women alone in Khanwan as Kattin (spinner) and Bunkar (weaver), over 1000 women are undergoing training at eight BHKGS centres and solar charkhas have already been installed at the houses of more than 1200 artisans. The training-cum-production centres at Khanwan is spread over 20,000 sq. ft. area with sprawling playground, garden, open-space and five sheds.

About Project

Traditional Textile industry has direct linkages with rural economy but it is mostly unorganised and non-integrated. In India amongst 6.6 million women artisans, very few are able to contribute in socio economic growth of the country as opportunities of livelihood in non farm sector are either sparse or not women friendly. Rural producers have inadequate linkages to raw materials resources, limited technology support and tough access to markets as a result of information asymmetries.

To address this problem, Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan (BHKGS) brought forward 10 Spindle Solar Charkhas (Compact Spinning Wheel which runs through Solar Power) in Khanwan Village (Nawada, Bihar) as a tool of economic empowerment of rural women so that they are enabled to earn at least Rs. 6000/- per month while working from their households. Distribution of raw material and collection of finished goods happens at their doorstep through a nearby “Training cum Production Centre” (TPC) which entirely runs on Solar Power.

The TPC acts as a facilitator of training and production of value added activities such as dyeing, printing, weaving, stitching, embroidery etc. In view of entire textile value chain one spindle creates one job (e.g. one 10 spindle solar charkha provides job to 10 artisans). The TPC is set up inside the village in around 5 Acres and has a capacity of training 500 candidates at a time in various textile related activities.

This initiative is one of its kind in India and has become flagship centre for upcoming “Solar Charkha Mission”. Also, the project is in direct alignment of PM’s Skill India and Livelihood Generation Program. The initiative has created 1012 women entrepreneurs in Khanwan Village till date who are owning Solar Charkhas installed at their households.

Recently, an Amino Acid manufacturing plant and bio-compost unit has been set up which require human hair, cow-urine and animal-dung. These raw materials are being purchased locally from the Khanwan village adding to the income of each household. The initiative covers its journey from ‘Farm to Fashion’.

Around 1.5 years back, Khadi as a sector was in the negative list of PMEGP (Prime Minister Employment Generation Program). The intervention of Solar Charkha led the authorities to get Khadi included in PMEGP. Currently around 3000 women have benefited from this scheme across country and are spinning on Solar Charkhas.

The initiative has been recognised by Hon’ble Prime Minister in his Mann ki Baat and is inspired by the popular slogan quoted by him – Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion & Khadi for Transformation. The model of having 100% internal value chain running on solar power is also in synced with government’s ‘Zero effect (on environment) and Zero defect (in quality)’ policy for popularising make in India products.

The products made by this initiative are already selling in main stream market under the brand name of ‘Green wear’. Green wear is going to be a global platform for e-retailing of rural produce which brings forward industry specialists of designing and marketing vis-a-vis artisans from rural background.

A brief look at Khanwan Training-cum-Production Centre (TPC)

2,00,000 sq. ft. campus with solar power grid.
20,000 sq. ft built in area with seven shades.
Verticals: Spinning, Weaving, Dyeing, Printing and Stitching
500 women own solar charkhas installed at their home.
Training, maintenance, raw material and yarn purchase are managed through TPC.
25 solar charkhas of 10 spindles
50 solar charkhas of 12 spindles
6 solar charkhas of 16 spindles
5 solar charkhas of 24 spindles
1 solar charkha of 32 spindles
1 twisting machine
14 solar looms
4 jigger machines for fabric dyeing
55 industrial sewing machines
67 manual sewing machines
1 cone winding machine (2-spindle)
1 hank machine

Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan, at its Khanwan TPC, has planted trees and plants like dragon plants, dates trees in the vicinity. The artisans get benefits through these plantations too.

Working Model

Visit : Model (PDF 1.1 MB)

Impact

Dissemination of solar run technology at local-level.
1012 Women of Khanwan are earning Rs. 6000/- to Rs. 10,000/- monthly through spinning on Solar Charkha.
All trained women are provided with Jan Dhan Account, Atal Pension Scheme, Jeevan Jyoti Bima and Ujwala Connection.
A research conducted by L. N. Mishra College of Business Management, Muzaffarpur, it is found that, 73 % women made independent decision on purchasing the domestic goods for their households. 66 % saw a decline in dependency of borrowing money. Family Income raise by 60 %. Around 88 % of women felt confident in taking responsibilities. Working more than 6 hours in a day shows their interest and popularity of the initiative.

Vision

Already expanded the initiative in 6 other Panchayat (Kutri, Kendua, Mangura, Roh, Anjunar, Tungi) where we have already involved 2300 more families who will be provided Subsidised Spindle Solar Charkha (Compact Spinning Wheel which runs through Solar Power) under PMEGP. We at Nawada, will expand the initiative in all the 187 Panchayat and aiming to reach 1,00,000 Families/Women.