KVIC has filed a case against Fabindia in the Bombay HC, seeking damages of Rs 525 crore for allegedly selling factory-made cotton garments under guise of ‘Khadi’.
Those who love wearing khadi kurtas may not know they could actually be wearing factory-made cotton and not khadi? The outcome of a case slapped by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) against FabIndia, a retailer of ethnic products, may settle what kind of cloth could be considered khadi.
KVIC has filed a case against Fabindia in the Bombay High Court, seeking damages of Rs 525 crore for allegedly selling factory-made cotton garments under the guise of ‘Khadi’. TOI reported. ..
WHAT IS THE CONTENTION OF KVIC?
While KVIC has granted Raymond and Arvind Mills the authorisation to use the Khadi trademark, it says it did not grant Fabindia the rights to sell garments under the Khadi brand, since the talks on this issue had fallen through due to Fabindia not meeting the procedural norms
KHADI OR COTTON?
KVIC has claimed that it found Fabindia was continuing to sell its garments in the name and style of Khadi despite its warnings and assurances by Fabindia that it would refrain from doing so. According to the TOI report, the complaint by KVIC said that around July 2015, it tested samples from Fabindia, which revealed they were not Khadi products and Fabindia was selling factory-made cotton garments in the name of Khadi. The report says that Fabindia, in a letter dated August 16, 2016, informed K ..
WHAT ARE THE KHADI NORMS?
According to the Khadi Mark Regulations, 2013, genuine khadi is defined in the KVIC Act as "any cloth woven on handlooms in India from cotton, silk or woollen yarn hand-spun in India or from a mixture of any two or all of such yarns". Affixing the Khadi mark tags and labels issued by the commission is also required for those individuals and certified khadi institutions producing, selling or trading in khadi and khadi products.
HOW DOES KVIC AUTHENTICATES KHADI?
To authenticate the product being produced or sold or traded as khadi or khadi product, KVIC engages accredited agencies to visit the place of production, godown or sales outlet to verify and test the products. The sire verification ensures that the cloth is produced through hand-spinning and hand-weaving processes. KVIC can also conduct or arrange testing of samples of products.