Chennai, Oct 1 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay, on Thursday urged people to mark Gandhi Jayanti by wearing khadi and using Gramodyog products, saying their purchases would help improve the livelihoods of weavers and handicraft workers.
In a statement issued ahead of the October 2 observance of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, CM Vijay appealed to school and college students, government employees, young people and the public to support locally produced goods.
He said government-run khadi shops in Tamil Nadu were offering a 30 per cent discount on all dress materials to encourage purchases.
The concession formed part of the effort to promote khadi and strengthen support for those engaged in its production.
CM Vijay described Gandhi Jayanti as an occasion to recall the history of India’s freedom struggle and reflect on the values of simplicity, self-confidence and humanity embodied by the Father of the Nation.
His appeal linked the observance with support for workers whose livelihoods depend on traditional textiles and handicrafts.
“If we buy khadi clothes and products, it gives recognition and respect to handloom weavers,” CM Vijay said in the statement.
He emphasised the importance of choosing local products, saying such purchases would boost home-based production.
Alongside khadi clothing, he encouraged people to use Gramodyog goods, extending his appeal to products made through village industries.
The statement placed weavers and handicraft workers at the centre of the appeal, presenting purchases of their products as a way for consumers to support their livelihoods.
CM Vijay said wider use of these goods would help improve the economic prospects of the people who make them.
By addressing students and youth, the Chief Minister sought their participation in the effort alongside government employees and other members of the public.
The appeal called on these groups to make khadi clothing and village industry products part of their choices.
The discount at government khadi outlets was highlighted as an incentive for people to buy dress materials.
CM Vijay urged the public to support the initiative through purchases that would offer recognition to the work of weavers.
His Gandhi Jayanti message combined remembrance of the freedom struggle with an appeal for practical support to local production.
Wearing khadi and using Gramodyog products, he said, would help translate that support into benefits for weavers and handicraft workers, while encouraging the values of simplicity and self-confidence associated with the occasion.
