Ashis Parida December 18, 2017The charkha, the age-old device used to spin yarn manually, got itself a makeover, courtesy technology that harnesses sun’s rays into energy, which, in turn, runs the machine.
Inaugurating the Khadi Spinning Training Centre on Hatia Station Road here on Saturday where 10 solar charkhas were introduced for the first time in the state, development commissioner Amit Khare said, “Jharkhand State Khadi Board has always helped people of the state become self-reliant and economically stronger”.
He patted the board for promoting small and cottage industries which are equally important for providing self-employment to people.
State tourism secretary Rahul Sharma, who was also present on the occasion, appreciated the Khadi Board for introducing solar charkhas that can spin more yarn with much less physical support.
“These solar charkhas can spin nearly three times more yarn than traditional ones,” said Khadi Board chairman Sanjay Seth, adding these could run for eight hours on the trot to help spinners get more yield.
He said women in groups of 25 would be trained for three months and a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 would also be given to them. He added they would be given a chance to buy the ch-arkhas at a subsidised cost after completion of their training.
Seth said the Khadi Board was also promoting mithi kranti in the state by promoting bee-keeping. He added that the bo-ard has already trained 500 far-mers in bee-keeping and gave 5 bee-boxes to each of them.
Chief minister Raghubar Das will launch Amrita Madhu, the honey brand of the board, on December 22, he said. He informed that Khadi and Saras Mela 2017-18 will begin at Morabadi grounds on December 22 that will have about 1,000 stalls displaying khadi and cottage industry products from 22 states.
Source: https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/jharkhand/solar-charkha-debuts-in-state-194050
