To strengthen the ‘New Khadi for New India’ movement, Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Manoj Kumar, distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states through video conference from KVIC’s Rajghat office in Delhi.
Photo: KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar
To strengthen the ‘New Khadi for New India’ movement, Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Manoj Kumar, distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states through video conference from KVIC’s Rajghat office in Delhi.
Addressing the distribution program, Mr Kumar highlighted that in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of spreading the ‘Sweet Revolution’ across villages, the ‘Honey Mission’ has been initiated to distribute bee colonies and bee boxes to beekeepers.
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He further stated that a national-level exhibition was organised at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh from January 14 to February 27. As a result of PM Modi’s ‘Khadi Revolution,’ the exhibition recorded historic sales of Khadi products worth ₹12.02 crore.
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He added that the exhibition featured 98 Khadi stalls and 54 village industry stalls, which collectively recorded sales of ₹9.76 crore in Khadi and ₹2.26 crore in village industry products.
Addressing the artisans, Mr Kumar recalled that in 2016, from Banaskantha’sDeesa in Gujarat, PM Modi had called for a ‘Sweet Revolution’ alongside the ‘White Revolution.’ Inspired by this, the KVIC launched the ‘Honey Mission’ in 2017, under which more than 20,000 beneficiaries have so far received two lakh bee boxes and bee colonies.
He further noted that in the 75th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ the PM had discussed the benefits of bee farming, emphasising that apart from honey, the bee wax is also a major source of income. Bee wax is in high demand in the pharmaceutical, food, textile, and cosmetic industries.
Therefore, more and more farmers should integrate bee farming with their agricultural practices, as it will not only increase their income but add sweetness to their lives while making the country self-reliant in honey production, he added.
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