Responding to the clarion call of the Prime Minister to embrace Khadi as a philosophy and as a critical component of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) through the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to procure around 6 lakh metre of Khadi Fabric at an approximate cost of around Rs. 15 crores.
The uniforms have been designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). At present there are 73000 tribal students residing in Eklavya Model Residential Schools in remote locations of 23 states of India.
The MoU was been signed in the presence of Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda and Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari. Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister for State for MSME Pratap C. Sarangi, Chairman KVIC V.K. Saxena and Secretary, MoTA Deepak Khandekar were present on the occasion.
“There was no standardized school uniform design for the students in theseschools till now. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi has designed the dress with a distinct logo and color scheme and best available khadi cloth available for dress material has been chosen which will be sourced from KVIC,” said Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda explained.
Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari said, the requirement of Khadi fabric is expected to increase in subsequent years as enrolment in the schools go up.
