Khadi, the fabric with a strong historical connect, is set to play a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19, with the khadi institutions in Rajasthan pitching in to make masks to be distributed free of cost in the state.
Under the aegis of the Rajasthan Khadi and Village Industries Board, 16 khadi units are on the job to manufacture as many as 10,000 reusable masks. As many as 3,000 masks have already been dispatched to district administration offices for distribution. The manufacture of every mask is expected to incur an expense of Rs 18, but they will be distributed to the people free of cost.
According to a spokesperson of the Rajasthan government, the masks are meant for everyday use to protect oneself against coronavirus, and are not aimed for use by healthcare professionals who are on COVID-19 duty or in the isolation wards designated for the disease. The idea is to provide people with masks that can be washed and reused.
The khadi units had come forth to help deal with the shortage of masks as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state was going up. However, the imposition of the nationwide lockdown hampered the efforts to make masks as access to raw material and mobility of the workers got affected.
Concessions were made for the khadi units engaged in mask-making, and the khadi board have provided them with fabric and other resources.
