On 2nd August 2020, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises(MSME), approved the Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanribhar Mission(KAAM) proposed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) to increase the production of Agarbatti (incense sticks) and to generate employment and to achieve the self-reliant India in the production of agarbatti.
Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanribhar Mission(KAAM):
i.The proposal for the mission was submitted to the MSME ministry for approval in July 2020.
ii.The scheme designed by the KVIC on PPP mode is unique in the sense that with very less investment, it will create sustainable employment and support the private manufacturers to scale up the production without capital investment from them.
iii.The scheme is decided based on the decisions taken by the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Finance.
- To reduce the import on Raw AgarbattiÂ
- To increase the import duty on Bamboo sticks.
Note:
Per day around 1490 Megatonne (MT) of Agarbatti is consumed in India whereas only 760 MT of agarbatti is produced.
Features:
i.The scheme will support in creation of employment opportunities for the unemployed and migrant workers in the various parts of India.
ii.The two party agreement will be signed between the KVIC and private agarbatti manufacturers.
iii.The scheme will support the artisans and the local private incense sticks industries to scale up the production to close the gap between the demand and supply.
Benefits:
i.The KVIC will provide Automatic Agarbatti making machines and power mixing machines to the artisans.
ii.These machines will be procured only from the Indian manufacturers to encourage the local production.
iii.Around 25% subsidy on the cost of machines will be provided by KVIC and the 75% of the cost from the artisans will be recovered in easy installments.
About Ministry of MSME:
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari
Minister of State– Pratap Chandra Sarangi
Recent Related News:
i.Prime Minister Inaugurates ‘Aatma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rojgar Abhiyan’ to provide employment opportunities to migrant workers and to promote the local entrepreneurship of Uttarpradesh.
ii.Nitin Jairam Gadkari launched ‘MSME Bank of Ideas, Innovation and Research’ portal and he also launched ‘Ayush Entrepreneurship Development Program’ jointly organized by the Ministry of AYUSH & Ministry of MSME for promoting the AYUSH sector in India.
