Solar ‘charkhas’ to produce ‘green clothes’

MUMBAI - The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is finalising a project to introduce solar “charkhas” (spinning wheels) across the country and produce “green clothes”, a top official said here Saturday.

A prototype of a solar “charkha” has been developed and is undergoing field trials by the KVIC in collaboration with the Gandhigram Urja Vikas Sanstha, Amravati and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation, Wardha, said Kumud Joshi, KVIC chairperson.

“This is an ambitious project and the product spun from the solar ‘charkhas’ would be marketed as ‘green cloth’ in India and abroad,” Joshi said.

Khadi is essentially hand-spun, hand-woven cloth and will now have technological help to assist the production with solar power, Joshi explained.

The project involves introduction of 100,000 such “charkhas”, each costing around Rs.20,000, every year.

Generally one spins the “charkha” wheel with the hand. In the new model, there would be solar panels, which would draw solar power. The solar panels are connected to a battery, which stores power.

KVIC chief executive officer J.S. Mishra said once implemented, the solar ‘charkhas’ would help not only to spin effortlessly but the spinners can also earn double their present earnings, from Rs.60 per day to Rs.150 per day.

This is the second major technological innovation by the KVIC in the past couple of years.