MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved an employment generation programme proposed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission to form India self-reliant in agarbatti production.
The programme named ‘Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission’ aims at creating employment for unemployed and migrant workers in several parts of the country while increasing domestic agarbatti production substantially, the MSME Ministry said.
“The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of MSME for approval last month. The pilot program are going to be launched soon and on full-fledged implementation of the project, thousands of jobs are going to be created within the agarbatti industry,” the ministry said.
The programme aims at handholding artisans and supporting the local agarbatti industry. the present consumption of agarbatti within the country is approximately 1,490 MT per day but local production is simply 760 MT.
There is an enormous gap between the demand and therefore the supply and hence, immense scope for job creation, said the ministry.
Under the scheme, KVIC will provide automatic agarbatti making machines and powder mixing machines to the artisans through the successful private agarbatti manufacturers who will sign the agreement as business partners.
KVIC has decided to acquire only locally-made machines by Indian manufacturers.
The Centre earlier took two major decisions by placing the agarbatti item from trade to ‘restricted’ trade the import policy and enhancing the duty from 10 per cent to 25 per cent on ’round bamboo sticks’ used for manufacturing of agarbatti for the advantage of the domestic industry.
KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the 2 decisions of the central government created an enormous employment opportunity within the agarbatti industry. “In order to encash the large employment generation opportunity, the KVIC designed a programme namely ‘Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission’ and submitted to the Ministry of MSME for approval, Saxena said.
KVIC will provide 25 per cent subsidy on the value of the machines and recover the remaining 75 per cent of the value from the artisans in easy instalments monthly . Under the scheme, the business partner will provide staple to artisans for creating agarbatti and pay them wages on paperwork basis.
The cost of artisans’ training are going to be shared between KVIC and therefore the private business partner wherein the Commission are going to be ar 75 per cent of the value while 25 per cent will be paid by the business partner.