by Suman Gupta
It has come to the notice of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) that certain unscrupulous business firms are manufacturing and selling personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, fraudulently using its registered trademark logo of ‘Khadi India’. The KVIC clarifies that it has, so far, not launched any PPE kit in the market.
It has been learnt that the fake PPE kits are being sold under the impression of a Khadi product, which is totally incorrect and misleading. It must be clarified that KVIC specifically uses double-twisted hand-spun, hand-woven Khadi fabric for its products and hence, the kits made of non-woven material like polyester and polypropylene are neither Khadi products nor KVIC-approved products.
KVIC Chairman, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena said the KVIC has developed its own PPE kit made of Khadi fabric which is at various levels of testing. “So far we have not launched Khadi PPE kits in the market. Selling PPE kits fraudulently in the name of ‘Khadi India’ is illegal. At the same time, they pose a grave risk to the safety of our doctors, diagnostic and paramedic staff who are dealing with cases of Corona disease on a routine basis,” he said. Shri Saxena said the KVIC was contemplating legal action against such fraudsters.
The fake PPE kits manufactured by one Delhi-based ‘Nichia Corporation’ were brought to the notice of Deputy CEO, KVIC, Shri Satya Narayana, who informed that KVIC has not launched any PPE kit or outsourced it to any private agency.
At present, KVIC is only manufacturing and distributing specially designed Khadi face masks that conform to the highest safety standards. KVIC is using double-twisted Khadi fabric for manufacturing of these masks as it helps retain 70% of the moisture content inside. Further, these masks are made of hand-spun and hand-woven Khadi fabric which is breathable, washable and biodegradable.
