Khadi masks gain popularity following PM Modi's bid to go ‘local’

Working on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the nation to go vocal and promote indigenous products, the manufacturing of Kadhi products has increased in the past few weeks. Sankalp for Khadi, an NGO which has been promoting Khadi for past many years has also stepped into making masks out of Khadi amidst the outbreak of COVID-19.

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Khaadi masks

The organization procures raw materials from rural areas across the country and uses them to make masks among other products. This also helps in giving employment to the needy.

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The masks not only promote the swadeshi movement started by the central government, but are a comfortable option against its rival products in the market. They are soft and easy to breathe through. The molecules of the cloth are so that they protect you from the virus. 

Meanwhile, they are biodegradable and can be recycled and reused hence are also environment friendly. “We have been promoting Khadi with aim to uplift the rural weavers of the country. This provides sustainable employment and sustainable environment.  In times such as today, lockdown will be over and people will need masks. So, we have procured the fabric from the local weavers and started producing masks. This entire initiative will make us aatmnirbhar like Modiji said,” founder president of Sankalp for Khadi told Republic TV.

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Notably, India is expected to emerge as one of the main exporters of masks with the habit of its wearing catching up on people worldwide in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, India is now producing over 4.5 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits daily, Union Minister Smriti Irani had said.

Over 600 companies in the country are now certified to manufacture PPEs, she said in a social media post. India has almost doubled its production rate in just two weeks -- on May 5, the country was producing 2.06 lakh PPE kits daily.

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A PPE kit consists of a mask, eye shield, shoe cover, gown, and gloves, which doctors and healthcare workers wear during the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Maharashtra saw an explosion of COVID-19 infections — the state reported over 2,000 new cases for the fourth straight day. The total number of coronavirus patients in India rose to 112,359.