Bihar government to make wearing khadi mandatory for employees

PATNA: Bihar government has ordered to make wearing khadi clothes mandatory at least twice a week for government employees to encourage greater use of the hand-spun fabric and to boost production and employment among youths.

An order to this effect has been issued to heads of all the state government departments.

Bihar Industries Minister Shyam Rajak told PTI that a proposal to make wearing khadi at least two days a week for state government officials was mooted by his department.

As khadi was the symbol of the country's Independence, encouraging greater use of the hand-spun fabric in the state was aimed at promoting high ideals, Rajak said.

Besides, greater use of khadi would promote production and would boost employment among youths, he said counting virtues of the decision.

Asked if promotion of khadi was aimed at countering publicity of yoga by BJP, Rajak said two streams of ideology was flowing in the country today -- one is of Gandhiji and the other of Nathuram Godse.

"While we aim to promote high ideals of Mahatama Gandhi, the BJP is for encouraging the beliefs of Godse, the killer of the Father of the Nation," he said.

Celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21 is snowballing into a major political event in Bihar which is all set to witness Assembly poll in September-October this year.

BJP President Amit Shah is coming to Patna to attend yoga session on Sunday at Moin-Ul-Haque stadium.