Bhubaneswar: Speaking at the closing ceremony of the seven-day ‘Odisha Khadi Fair 2026’, which concluded on a successful note Sunday, MSME Minister Gokulananda Mallik noted that khadi and village industries have immense potential to drive rural prosperity.
Mallik also highlighted the vital role of khadi and village industries in strengthening rural livelihoods and economic growth, and urged citizens to incorporate khadi into their daily lives.
The minister also appealed to people to wear khadi garments at least once a week to support the sector.
Mallik stressed the need to adopt digital marketing strategies to expand the reach of khadi products and encouraged artisans and weavers to focus on innovative designs to attract younger generations.
As part of the initiative, awareness on e-commerce was created among artisans, and around 50 artisan and weaver groups were on boarded onto the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform.
MSME department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rashmita Panda delivered the welcome address, while Khadi and Village Industries Board Secretary Sanjay Kumar Mishra proposed a vote of thanks.
The event was attended by board member and former minister Devendra Nath Mansingh, along with Arundhati Devi, among other dignitaries.
This year, the event featured a total of 75 stalls with participation from artisans and weavers not only from Odisha but also from Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
The event recorded an impressive business turnover of approximately Rs 1.2 crore.
