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Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialisation

Maganwadi, Wardha-442001, Maharashtra Phone: 07152-253512 Fax: 240328 www.mgiri.org email: director.mgiri@gmail.com

June – July 2010Vol 2, Issue 6, 7

Contents

‹ .... 2

‹ Editorial: Realization of the khadi mission .... 3

‹ National level field trial of MGIRI solar charkha funded by the KVIC .... 4

‹ .... 5

‹ Recent events / Forthcoming events .... 6

‹ MGIRI in news .... 8

Energy & infrastructure division

Glimpses of the national level field trial of solar charkhainstallation and operation

A National Institute under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt. of India

Sushri Kumud Joshi, Chairperson KVIC announced that MGIRI’s ‘solar charkha is technically and economically viable’ (... see page 8). Scene from the Review Meeting on 9 July 2010 at KVIC, Mumbai.

Mr Deep Varma, designer of MGIRI’s solar charkha inspecting the field trial in Paho, Raebareli.

Heralding ‘green khadi’ through MGIRI’s solar charkha

Energy & Infrastructure Division

Registration details:

Title: MGIRI Newsletter Editor: Dr T Karunakaran Printer: MGIRI, Wardha Periodicity: Monthly Publisher: Dr T Karunakaran Nr.: MAHBIL 05736 / 13-1-2009-TCLanguage: English / Hindi Place of publication: Wardha Post Regn. Nr.: WDA / 60 / 2010-12

www.mgiri.org

Objectives

Infrastructure

Avenues of activities

Recent involvements and achievements

Enabling decentralized rural industries through a workable decentralized system of energy support - with priority to micro and small industries and working out innovative infrastructure and connectivity compatible with a sustainable vision of development. The operational objectives of the Energy & Infrastructure Division will be:

- to consider the demand sector in terms of segments needing the smallest level of energy and upwards and workout strategies to fulfill the energy needs through innovative use of local resources.

- to redesign products / processes with a view to optimize energy needs and to arrive at devices / systems / energy mixes to best fit products / scales / contexts.

- to demonstrate the 'community scaling of technologies' through designs of appropriate 'man-machine systems' to ensure employment without sacrificing quality and productivity needed for global competence.

- to expedite innovations in the mass consumption sectors of food, clothing and shelter and help bring sustainable life styles and cost reductions through focus on 'building-elements', 'passive structures', substitution / minimization of transportation / packaging while at the same time encouraging waste recycling.

- to enhance equity / human dignity through innovative energy-support in terms of working tools / systems to artisans, women, weaker sections, handicapped etc.

- to help develop the 'software' aspects like energy audit / energy conservation/ decentralized energy strategies considering viable clusters of panchayats as units of micro level planning.

The Energy and Infrastructure Division has under it : - Advanced Engineering Work Centre- Engineering Design Studio - Innovation Centre- Incubation Centre and- Energy lab consisting of engine test rigs, gasifier,

biogas plants, fuel lab, instrumentation for energy audit,briquetting technique lab, LED products lab etc.

The E&I division has the following three avenues of activities:

Identification of sustainable energy technology alternativesThe following set of activity – directions initiated during the project period of MGIRI in collaboration with IIT, Delhi

- biogas cleaning, packaging and use in engines- micro hydel based workstations- briquetting systems on community scale- energy conservation in potter’s kiln etc.

Infrastructure related areas like: storage system, water recycling, housing, waste recycling, transport & communication – with focus on the design of ‘housing-elements’

Energy system design for SME sector (see objectives and details below)

Solar charkhaMGIRI launched a viable solar charkha in May 2008 (details in page 4). The 'mini solar-charkha based cotton cluster experiment' at Wardha has proved that the price of garment could be drastically reduced while more than doubling the daily earning capacity of the workers. It is hoped that perhaps this sustainable technological initiative could be the answer for which the Father of the Nation made a clarion call to the scientists in the 1929.

2

contd on page 7 ....

Vertical milling machine & NC lathe at MGIRI workshop

3 MGIRI Newsletter : June–July 2010

It was 17th July 2008. Nearly 40 members of Khadi Mission had assembled in Sevagram and in front of them the 'MGIRI solar charkha' was demonstrated. The system and its implications were explained by the Director of MGIRI as per the request of Padmabhushan Shailesh Bandyopadhyay, member of Khadi Commission who was presiding over the meeting. The members were listening in pin drop silence.

One elderly member came to the dais and said: “The term 'khadi yarn' should be used only for the yarn spun through takli. Nothing else should be called khadi”.

Those who have experienced the way khadi was handled in the forties will agree that the argument of the above individual has a lot of logic. Yes, the raw khadi was brought home, cleaned and separated through a bow, slivers were made with hand and used in the charkha. The yarn's formation was directly controlled by the pressure of the fingers of the spinner. Thus the creation of yarn was truly an act of 'craft'. But can we say that the yarn that is produced in the New Model Charkha or 'Amber charkha' is khadi? This charkha is operating on the roving which is a result of a series of power based operations: ginning, blowing, carding and sliver-making. And finally what is the spinner of the present day NMC-charkha doing the whole day? Just rotating a handle day in and day out. There is hardly any 'craft' in it (see para 1 page 4). And with all this effort what does the spinner get in return? May be 30 or 40 rupees per day which works out to 1000 rupees a month in a country where a chaprasi's salary is about seven times more and a professor's salary is about 70 times more. Is greater level of justice possible?

It was 1916. Vinobaji carried out an experiment in Nalwadi, Wardha. He collected a set of able-bodied workers, and after one year's experiment of khadi production concluded that the maximum earning per day of a person cannot be more than two annas. To Gandhiji this was unacceptable. He felt: “It has to be four times!” This was perhaps the reason for his announcing a prize of Rupees 1 lakh (equivalent to Nobel Prize of today) on 24-07-1929 for an improved charkha at a cost not exceeding Rs 150 (about Rs 1.8 lakhs today) that could produce 16000 yards of yarn of 12 to 20 counts in 8 hours.

The Amber charkha was perhaps the only meaningful response to Gandhiji's challenge-though it came (in 1954-55) much after Gandhiji's passing away. But it is well known that the effort needed even in its improved versions (in1960 and later as 8 spindle NMC in 1995) is such that a woman cannot work for many years on it without seriously injuring her health and in the NREGA-yug it cannot attract people since one can earn Rs 100 per day without qualms! This is the reason for lakhs of charkha becoming idle and for non-genuine yarn coming into khadi in the

name of hand-spun yarn! Even with the present wage level khadi is costly and is kept alive with huge subsidy.

The formation of the KVIC had the noble mission of finding sustainable livelihood for the poor villagers. However, the decline of spinners year by year has become a cause of worry. A major cotton growing region like Vidarbha has become the capital of farmer's suicide and gradually the cultivation of cotton is giving way to soyabean.

It is time that we get back to the original vision. Gandhiji considered charkha as an answer to the challenge of providing livelihood to the hungry villagers and to save the honour of the village women who had to put up with many indignities in her struggle to save her children and family from the clutches of hunger. He was willing to bring in the best of science and technology in his attempt to get at least a partial answer to the problem of hunger.

Gandhiji considered Khadi to be the one industry that occupies the entire spectrum of industries - from 'home scale' to large scale and felt that the key to the building up of rural economy will be the mantra: 'kapas se kapda tak'. He considered that gradual technological improvements could realize his vision that “the yarn from charkha should be stronger than the mill yarn and in every sense equivalent”. He also indicated that “the grade of khadi cloth should go up and up and the prices and the quantum of subsidy should become lower and lower”.

The recent break through in the form of MGIRI's solar charkha has given an indication that most of Bapuji's dreams could be realised. The foundational concept is again Bapuji's mantra: 'kapas se kapda tak'. In modern jargon it is called 'cluster approach to khadi'. We find that many new concepts have to be introduced and many dissipative practices thrown out. For example when the entire chain of operations related to pre- spinning, spinning and post spinning are carried out within a geographical cluster (which in effect is a 'cycle commute region') the 'pressing' stage (the most energy intensive operation) could be avoided. The farmers will be enabled to add value to cotton by one (for example ginning) or more stages of pre spinning operations and make their farming enterprise assuredly profitable (thus bringing in the concept of 'agrindus').

The roving created in the cluster will be converted into yarn using solar charkha by women's SHG groups. Further stages like weaving, dying, garment making, embellishments, design inputs, marketing etc. will be carried out by SHG groups, artisan guilds or entrepreneurs. This will create abundant wealth and employment in each cluster made up of about 5 to 10 panchayats together having a population of about 50,000. In such clusters the schemes of KVIC's rural industries will be applicable and all the 'agrindus' processes could be carried out through micro level industries covered by PMEGP scheme. Note that cotton can be exported but as roving.

The above concepts have been proven in MGIRI through a mini khadi cluster (formed in the context of the 'Solar Fab Mart' project) and has proved that prices of garments could be brought down substantially while doubling the levels of wages.

The present issue reports this historic phase of khadi with the potential of realising the original mission adopting a people-centred cluster approach through 'community scaling of technologies' where the emphasis will be not on machines but on 'man-machine systems' optimising employment without compromising quality and global competitiveness.

– Editor

EDITORIAL: Realization of the Khadi Mission

www.mgiri.org 4

National level field trial of MGIRI solar charkha by KVIC

nder the leadership of MGIRI a viable solar charkha has been developed. It was first demonstrated at the Khadi exhibition at Jhalawad during 19-20 May 2008. Initially it was designed to operate the existing 8-spindle New Model U

Charkha (NMC). Since a battery is part of the system the charkha can run not only during the day time when sun is available but also 3 to 4 or even more hours in the night depending on the storage capacity of the battery. The spinner has to intervene only when there is a breakage in the yarn during spinning. Interestingly the breakages are far fewer and the yarn is more uniform as compared to NMC. In the new setup weaving will become the creative part of human involvement and spinning will be a gift from nature.

The khadi statistics indicates that the attraction towards hand-spinning is dwindling because of the drudgery involved and low wages earned. The present breakthrough can usher in a new era in the field of khadi.

After seeing the phenomenal response from artisans and khadi enthusiasts in a dozen national level exhibitions and karigar sammelans the KVIC funded a project for field trial of MGIRI's solar charkha in six SFURTI clusters across the country. The experiments were carried out during April-June 2010 and have proved that a spinner can earn (more than Rs 100 in 8 hrs and more than Rs 150 in the case of silk reeling). If the battery is used to work during another 4 to 8 hrs the earning could be increased by 50% to 100%. Further since one person can supervise 2 to 4 charkhas the earnings could be further multiplied depending on the investments in additional charkhas thus enabling the spinner to reach the expectations of the minimum wages act of the land.

The above development has enormous implications to energy management, rural development, social welfare, textile and many other contexts and is an indicator that spinning could emerge as a decentralized 'home industry' following the case of weaving.

Interim results of field trials: hanks produced / 8 hrs on MGIRI’s solar charkha as per reports from SFURTI clusters

A review of the interim results took place in KVIC, Mumbai on 8-9 July 2010 in which Commission members, relevant khadi institutions, manufacturers of khadi implements and representatives from MGIRI participated.

At the end of the deliberations the Chairperson of the KVIC announced that the experiment has proved that the MGIRI solar charkha is 'technically and economically viable' (see page 8). In the Executive Committee meeting of MGIRI on 2 July 2010 the CEO of KVIC had informed that on the basis of encouraging field results the Commission has set up a subcommittee to go into the equivalence between khadi yarn and that of solar charkha; and is also formulating pilot projects.

KVIC institutions, Commission members, manufacturers, respectively, in the Mumbai meet on 8-9 July 2010

Khadi cluster

Count

Av prodn of hanks

Hanks / 8 hrs

Wages / day per day of hrs

Paho, Raibareli (UP) 35 35 6.84 41 107

Limbdi, Rajkot (GJ) 40 23 5.01 37 103

Behrampur, Murshidabad (WB) 70 27 6.00 36 107

Kandanur, Karaikudi (TN) 30 28 5.07 44 132

Baskaho, Bassi (RJ) 40 35 6.60 42 124

Dimapur, Nagaland (Muga silk) 45 21 6.00 28 153

Orientation programme on e-marketing for dissemination of http://www.ruralhaat.comduring the month of July 2010 by M&S Division of MGIRI

Management & Systems Division of MGIRI will conduct a orientation programme on e-marketing for dissemination of its new website http://www.ruralhaat.com to SHG groups in CMRC, located in all blocks of Wardha. The programme is supported by Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal, MAVIM (Under Government of Maharashtra).

5 MGIRI Newsletter : June–July 2010

Glimpses of the national level field trial of solar charkha installation and operation

Bassi khadi cluster Karaikudi khadi cluster

Limidi khadi cluster Paho khadi cluster

Dimapur Muga silk cluster

Murshidabad khadi cluster

How the KVIC combined two objectives into the field trial project

The earlier plan was simply to carry out field trial of solar charkhas of total MGIRI origin. The MGIRI had made a separate proposal for revival of idle NMC charkhas through addition of solar kit to it. The commission took an interesting decision to combine the above two objectives into a single project. They picked up one SFURTI cluster on Khadi in each zone for experimentation and instructed that charkhas already working be modified into solar charkhas by adding the 'solarizing kit due to MGIRI'. With every cluster reporting success the path for revival of all the idle NMC charkhas has been cleared. The present experiment has also indicated that since the charkhas in the SFURTI cluster were manufactured in different centres there were variations in performances. When the pilot project are formulated the KVIC is keen on ensuring use of charkhas that are tested against BIS norms. Meanwhile the KVIC has initiated a futuristic project, at MGIRI, of standardizing the parameters of charkhas with a view to ensure minimum torque requirements.

www.mgiri.org 6

Forthcoming events

Recent events

Hon’ble Minister Shri Dinsha Patel inaugurated solar charkha centre in

Surendarnagar on 17 June 2010. Sushri Kumud Joshi, Shri Manubhai Mehta and CEO, KVIC are also seen in the picture.

A grand function was organised for the inauguration of solar charkha in Surendarnagar on 17 June 2010.

Mr Sampathkumar, CEO, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation visited the solar charkha in

Paho, Raebareli khadi cluster, UP on 17 June 2010.

Events Duration Conducted by

Training on soya-based milk and its product 1 – 31 July Bio & Herbal division

Training on panchgavya products based products 12 – 16 July Bio & Herbal division

Training on manufacturing detergent powder for SHGs, micro and small enterprises

1 – 4 July Chemical Industries division

Training on manufacturing chalk for SHGs and micro enterprises 7 – 8 July Chemical Industries division

Workshop on manufacturing of soap for micro and small enterprises 12 – 15 July Chemical Industries division

Workshop on garment manufacturing technology 12 – 6 August Khadi & Textile division

Workshop on pre-spinning & spinning technology 12 – 23 July Khadi & Textile division

Workshop on dyeing, printing & finishing technology 12 – 23 July Khadi & Textile division

Training for process of ginning technology 26 – 28 July Khadi & Textile division

Training on manufacturing solar based LED light system 15 – 30 July Energy & Infrastructure division

Cluster planing exercise in Ashti block of Wardha by MGIRI 5 – 31 July MGIRI staff in collaboration with societal entrepreneurship project cell

Training on computer based administration for business:

1. Fundamentals of accounting 2. Concept of EDP 3. Introduction to computer basic accounting tools such as excel,

tally, etc 4. Detailed training on accounting

Every Month 1 – 7 Management & Systems division

Sessions : overview of khadi R&D need: prioritisation of problems in pre-spinning : prioritisation of problems in spinning: prioritisation of problems in weaving and finishing

It is expected that a small group of nationally renowned experts along with designers / scientists from MGIRI will meditate on the existing problems and emerging solutions on each of the above avenues and help enumerate the actions to be taken with the intent of making the khadi sector truly self reliant and karigar-friendly.

Two day's consultative meeting on modification of existing tools and implements used in khadi sector on 17-18 July 2010

77 MGIRI Newsletter : June–July 2010

Hank dyeing machineA user friendly hank dyeing machine has been evolved with the potential of saving the dyeing workers from drudgery, imperfection and low productivity. This batch processing machine has the capacity of handling five kg yarns in eight hour day and has the innovative added functionality of drying the dyed yarn if necessary. This innovation has elicited tremendous response when displayed in the exhibitions / khadi melas during 2009-10 at various places of the country including Surat which is the textile capital of India. The design / development is due to a team headed by Mr Deep Varma, Coordinator, Innovation Cell and is expected to be ready in the near future for commercial production.

Packaging machineAn affordable Packaging machine has been developed by the innovation cell for the packaging of dry products like chilli, turmeric, spices and many more applications at costs about one third of the traditional machines. Entrepreneurs, even from the tiny sector, can afford to have a packaging machine of their own thereby giving them a tool for modern marketing. The low cost product has been achieved by using the approach of 'Man-Machine System' introduced by MGIRI. The product received overwhelming response in the exhibitions across the country and is getting readied for commercial production / franchising.

Solar potter's wheelA Solar potter's wheel at a cost of about Rs 25,000 has been developed by the division. It works on solar powered fractional horse power motor.

The core scientific team of Energy and Infrastructure Division:

President of India watches the Solar Charkha at Amravati during a visit on 7-1-2010. Mr Deep Varma (Designer of Solar Charkha) is explaining the system.

Solar Charkha in Khadi Utsav-2010 at Allahabad attracted large crowds.

Energy & Infrastructure Division .... contd from page 2

Solar potter’s wheel

Hank dyeing machine

Packaging machine

RavikumarDy Director

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Sachin G RautSSO

Manoj D Sharma Foreman

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Edited and published by Dr T Karunakaran, Director, MGIRI, WardhaLayout and typesetting by Mr Arun Shanker

MGIRI IN NEWS

MAH BIL05736 / 13-1-2009-TC

www.mgiri.org

Postal Regn. Nr.: WDA/ 60/ 2010-12

BOOK POST

Postal Regn. Nr.: WDA/ 60/ 2010-12

If undelivered, please return to:MG Institute for Rural IndustrialisationMaganwadiWardha - 442 001, MaharashtraIndia

To

____________________

____________________

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8

Foundation stone of Khadi Plaza Complex laid

Indian Express, 09 July 2010: (Independent charge), laid the foundation stone of khadi plaza, air conditioned complex housing of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan and an Exhibition hall with 50 sales stall with estimated cost of around Rs. 5.00 Crores at KVIC premises at Vile Parle (W) recently. .....

Sushri Kumud Joshi, Chairperson, KVIC informed about newly developed Solar Charkha which is technically and economically viable for the spinners and weavers. She also informed that the cost of one Solar Charkha will be average of Rs. 15,000/-. .....

Dinsha Patel, Minister, MSME

The books are available in English and Hindi with Publication Cell of MGIRI and prices are indicated below:

Quality Assurance Norms for Khadi at a Glance – Rs. 150/-(Postal charges Rs. 30/- extra)

Quality Assurance of Khadi – Rs. 300/- (Postal charges Rs. 50/- extra)

About the Book : Rural Economic Zone: (REZ) authored by Dr T Karunakaran with the subtitle 'Economics as if People and Planet mattered' provides a theory of activity planning for the villages. Traditionally industries are established in the urban pockets and the rural habitats are reassembled into urban slums to provide its labour. The REZ philosophy discovers that the extensiveness of the rural and the 3-tier structure of value addition of rural produce are good enough to find a niche for rural activities. It defines the concept of Community Scaling of Technology and advises how technology could be redeployed to 'sit harmoniously over the habitat structure'.The extensive organizational structure is worked out in terms of House Level Activity, Village Work Centre and a Nodal Centre with Advanced Facilities and Connectivities. This along with the 'Agrindus' philosophy with potential for cluster based production of basic needs provides hope that the REZ will succeed in the ambient of cluster approach spreading everywhere.

Please contact: Publication Cell, Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural IndustrializationMaganwadi, Wardha-442 001, Maharashtra, India (Phone: 07152-253512)

Price: Rs 50 (India), US $5 (Outside), (Postal charges Rs. 20/- extra )