TN think-tank wants khadi uniforms for schools across the country to lift handloom, khadi workers out of poverty

The Centre for Policy and Development Studies (CPDS), a think-tank based out of Tamil Nadu, has called upon the Ministry of Education to make khadi uniforms mandatory in schools across the country. 

Director of the organisation and a researcher of handlooms, C Rajeev, in a statement to Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, demanded that khadi be used as a uniform in all CBSE, ICSE schools across the country and requested to make it mandatory in at least all the Kendriya Vidyalayas.

There are around 45 lakh handloom workers across the country with each state having its unique handloom and khadi clothing line. He said that with the sector struggling due to stocks being held up following the COVID-19 lockdowns and natural calamities, there is an urgent need to lift the morale of handloom and khadi weavers. He added that if the MoE makes it mandatory, then the sector will be lifted out of poverty.

Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country have around 13 lakh students, C Rajeev said and added that if these students use khadi uniforms — that are eco-friendly and without any carbon footprint — both the sectors will survive the crisis.

In addition to the 13 lakh students in KVs, there are about 2,87,000 students in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya's (JNV) across the country, CPDS said. The organisation said that the government is directly purchasing the uniform and all other materials for the students of Navodaya Vidyalayas. The CPDS is also planning to request all the parliamentarians to take up the issue during the Winter Session of Parliament.