Lok Sabha Question No. 2082 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-12
Subject: Promotion of Khadi and Village Industries in West Bengal
Ministry: MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
Asked by: Shri Jagannath Sarkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2082 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026

## PROMOTION OF KHADI AND VILLAGE INDUSTRIES IN WEST BENGAL

2082. SHRI JAGANNATH SARKAR:

Will the Minister of MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES be pleased to state:

(a) the  initiatives  undertaken  by  the  Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Commission  (KVIC)  to promote khadi and village industries in West Bengal;

(b) the  current  status  of  the  Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Board  in  West  Bengal  and  the number of artisans benefited from the Ministry's schemes in the State;

(c) the  allocation  of  funds  for  the  promotion  of  khadi  products  and  marketing  initiatives  in West Bengal;  and

(d) whether the Government has introduced any special programs to support women artisans and entrepreneurs in the khadi and village industries sector in West Bengal and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a): Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Commission  (KVIC)  has  taken  various  initiatives  for  the promotion and development of khadi and village industries in the country including West Bengal State  through  the  Khadi  and  Gramodyog  Vikas  Yojana  (KGVY).  KGVY  has  following  two components:

-  Khadi Vikas Yojana (KVY), promotes and supports Khadi sector through the existing schemes components  like  Modified  Market  Development  Assistance  (MMDA),  Interest  Subsidy Eligibility Certificate (ISEC), Workshed Scheme for Khadi Artisans, Strengthening infrastructure of existing weak Khadi Institutions, Assistance for Marketing Infrastructure and Khadi (Science and technology).
-  Gramodyog  Vikas  Yojana  (GVY),  promotes  village  industries  through  common  facilities, technology  upgradation,  training  and  toolkit  distribution.  GVY  supports  various  activities under the following components/verticals of Village Industries:  Agro  Based  &  Food Processing Industry (ABFPI), Mineral Based Industry (MBI), Wellness & Cosmetics Industry (WCI),  Handmade  Paper,  Leather  &  Plastic  Industry  (HPLPI),  Rural  Engineering  &  New Technology Industry (RENTI), and Service Industry.
-  KVIC also conducts  Skill  Development  and  entrepreneurship  training  for  youth  through  35 Departmental  and  Non-Departmental  Training  Centres,  and  25  training  partners.  These Training Centres impart need based training under various disciplines, viz. soap and detergent making,  food  items,  bakery  products,  readymade  garments  making,  beekeeping,  agarbatti making, candle making, motor repairing etc to promote self-employment and jobs.

-  A Centre of Excellence for Khadi (CoEK) has been established by KVIC in collaboration with the  National  Institute  of  Fashion  Technology  (NIFT),  New  Delhi  under  a  Hub-and-Spoke model  to  provide  design  intervention,  product  development,  capacity  building,  and  market support for khadi products. The Kolkata spoke centre supports Khadi Institutions and artisans in West Bengal.
-  Ministry  of  MSME,  through  Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Commission  (KVIC)  implements Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) to assist micro entrepreneurs in establishing new units in the non-farm sector including village industries in West Bengal.
-  Under  the  scheme  of  Fund  for  Regeneration  of  Traditional  Industries  (SFURTI),  KVIC promotes cluster based development of traditional industries to preserve rural arts and crafts in the  country  including  West  Bengal.  A  total  of  9,950  traditional  artisans  are  likely  to  be benefited across SFURTI clusters in West Bengal. The SFURTI Scheme was in continuation till 30.09.2022.
-  KVIC operates e-commerce portal www.khadiindia.gov.in wherein around 5000 plus various KVI products are on-boarded. This provides digital marketing access to various KVI units.

(b): The  Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Board  (KVIB)  in  West  Bengal  functions  under  the administrative  control  of  the  Government  of  West  Bengal  and  promotes  Khadi  and  Village Industries  (KVI)  activities  by  implementation  of  various  schemes  of  the  State  as  well  as  Central Government. Under Khadi sector, a cumulative total of 32,578 khadi artisans are engaged in West Bengal. Further, under the Gramodyog Vikas Yojana (GVY), 1,830 beneficiaries have been trained and provided with toolkits during the last three years in the State.

(c): During the year 2024-25, a total fund of ₹15.41 lakh (provisional) has been disbursed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in the State of West Bengal for the promotion of khadi products. Further, during the same year, ₹29.18 lakh (provisional) has been disbursed under the marketing head for marketing initiatives.

(d): Khadi and Village Industries sector is playing a crucial role in generating employment in the country including West Bengal State through the implementation of the Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana (KGVY). Focus has been given to women artisans and entrepreneurs, as a large proportion of the workforce engaged in the Khadi and Village Industries sector comprises women.

-  Under  Khadi  Vikas  programme,  approximately  18780 w omen artisans  are  engaged  in West Bengal.
-  Approx. 700 women artisans have been benefitted under various verticles of Gramodyog Vikas Programme since last five years.
-  Under  SDP  and  EAP  programme  of  Capacity  Building,  a  total  of  9294  women candidates have been trained during the last three years.

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