Orissa Khadi Board spins out sops for Cottage Industries.

Of late, the State Khadi and Village Industries Board has planned to boost the rural cottage industries that are likely to contribute significantly to the State's Gross Domestic Products (GDP).Speaking at a Press meet here on Wednesday, president of State Khadi Board Samir Mohanty said with prime object of bringing development the Board has taken some bold steps. Firstly, it decides to set up a training-cum-production centre at Udyagpuri to provide adequate training to the beneficiaries of spinning, weaving and processing category. Secondly, it has decided to take up a pilot project on Khadi Centre at Khaprakhol in Balangir where 500 cutters and weavers will get employment opportunity.
In a bid to maintain transparency, he is the first president in the State to bring out a comprehensive directory of beneficiaries and distributed these among the legislators and public to get information about the beneficiaries and their production units.Similarly, secretary of Khadi and Village Industries Board, Manmohan Rath said after beneficiaries' directory the Board has contemplated to bring out a product directory, which will ensure one to have information about the production units that are still functional in the State.
He said in his knowledge there were 1,806 cottage industries in the State that were still operational after availing the subsidy money from the Board. As is reported the State Khadi and Village Industries Board received Rs 22.15 crore under the national scheme named as Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) that started operating in 1999. Moreover, 3,194 beneficiaries all across the State have availed the margin money from banks.
To ensure that no beneficiary availing the subsidy money at the rate 25 per cent or 30 per cent as the case may be of the project cost should close down his unit driving it to sickness intentionally, the Board has requested the banks to have at least two years locking period for the margin money, said Mohanty.