Khadi is handspun, hand-woven natural fiber cloth mainly made out of cotton. The cloth is woven from cotton and may also include silk, or wool, which are all spun into yarn charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in summer and warm in winter. In order to improve the look, khādī/khaddar is sometimes starched to give it a stiffer feel. It is widely accepted in fashion circles.
Khadi is being promoted in India by Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Popular products being khadi cloth for tailoring various dresses such as dhoti and kurta, handloom saree such as Puttapaka Saree, Kotpad Handloom fabrics, Chamba Rumal, Tussar silk, etc.
Yarn from a solar charkha are stronger compared to the manually operated charkha. In fact yarns of desired strength could be achieved by proper choice of the drive. Yarn are more uniform compared to a manually operated. This is because of the incorporation of a battery which helps to give uniform power even in the variable climatic conditions.
Yarns are nearly free from knots. This is because of the absence of jolts and jerks in the charkha which are there when a human being cranks it throwing more or less a significant fraction of the body weight on it Thus resulting in fewer breakage of yarn, less down-time and greater productivity.
The Solar Charkha Mission, with a budget of Rs 550 crore for the initial two years, will generate direct employment for nearly one lakh persons, Parliament was informed today.
"Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) have launched the Mission Solar Charkha for implementation of 50 Solar Charkha Clusters across the country with a budget of Rs 550 crore for the year 2018-19 and 2019-20. The scheme will generate direct employment to nearly one lakh persons," MSME Minister Giriraj Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
Solar charkha units have been classified as village industries. The mission was launched by President Ram Nath Kovind on 27 June, 2018 on the occasion of UN SME Day. Besides, Singh said the ministry is also implementing a project to establish 15 new Tool Rooms and Technology Development Centres and upgrade the existing 18 centres in the country, at an estimated cost of Rs 2,200 crore, which includes World Bank loan of USD 200 Million.