New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) Tribal students studying in government-run Eklavya Model Residential Schools will get a special Khadi dress designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) here, Union minister Arjun Munda said on Tuesday.

The Tribal Affairs Ministry will purchase 6 lakh metres of Khadi fabric worth Rs 14.7 crore from Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in 2020-21 for this purpose, he said.

A pact has been signed with KVIC in this regard, Munda added.

At present, there are 73,000 tribal students studying in such schools in 23 states.

“There was no standardised school uniform design for students in these schools till now. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, has designed a dress with a distinct logo and color scheme, and the best available khadi cloth will be sourced from KVIC,” Munda said.

Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari, who was present on the occasion, said the requirement of Khadi fabric is expected to increase in subsequent years as enrolment in the schools go up.

Under another Memorandum of Understanding, the National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation (NSTFDC), an agency of the ministry responsible for the economic development of tribals, has been roped in as a partner to implement the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)