In a move aimed at getting central government-run hospitals across the country to focus on adopting the Khadi culture, the government has asked hospitals including AIIMS to opt for purchase of Khadi products -- from soaps to doctors’ coats and bed and bath linen.
According to a report in Times of India, the Health Ministry had on Wednesday issued a notification in this regard. The order covers at least 23 hospitals, including AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh, Jipmer Puducherry and Nimhans Bengaluru.
In all, a list of 45 items (blankets, soaps, curtains, gowns for patients and doctors, among others) has been circulated for the use of hospitals and institutes linked to the ministry.
The list was finalised based on the recommendation of a committee set up last year, the report said, adding that the government aims to place orders worth at least Rs 150 crore to this effect.
If Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) manages to supply goods worth Rs 150 crore, this will be the largest institutional order for the agency which is responsible for promoting khadi. The report said that this alone will account over 7 per cent of the KVIC’s annual sales for the current year.
The KVIC had in the past bagged orders from several public sector companies such as ONGC (Rs 52 crore) and government departments such as railways (Rs 42 crore) since the Narendra Modi government came to power.
Last fiscal, the KVIC had witnessed a 29 per cent jump in sale of its products. The agency, which falls under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, has projected to grow sale 35 per cent in the current financial year.
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