Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State spokesperson Mullapudi Renuka announced that the party will organise a Khadi Santha (khadi fair) in Vijayawada on Friday, as part of its ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Ms. Renuka said on Wednesday that the Khadi fair would be held on the first floor of IV Palace in the city from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and as part of the event, cultural programmes would be organised in the morning and evening.
She said similar Khadi fairs were organised last year in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati and other district headquarters. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had attended the Vijayawada event last year and encouraged the initiative, she added.
The programme this year would be held under the leadership of BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav, with the party’s State in-charges appointed by the national leadership also attending, she said.
Calling upon people to visit the fair with their families and purchase handloom products, Ms. Renuka said Khadi represented swadeshi, self-reliance and self-respect, recalling its role in the freedom movement and said it had also emerged as an important source of livelihood for rural families, particularly women.
Surge in Khadi turnover
She said the Centre had been of greater importance to Khadi, handloom and rural and cottage industries through marketing initiatives, digital platforms and financial support. According to her, the Khadi sector’s turnover had increased from about ₹33,000 crore in 2013-14 to around ₹1.7 lakh crore currently.
She said Ponduru Khadi in Andhra Pradesh had secured a GI tag and called for greater promotion of handloom clusters in Mangalagiri and Venkatagiri.
Ms. Renuka said purchasing Khadi and handloom products would provide direct support to weavers and their families. She appealed to people to make the October 2 fair a success and demonstrate their support for the handloom sector.
Published – September 30, 2026 06:51 pm IST
