Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi advocated for handloom products on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti—the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi—today.

The Chief Minister along with his spouse visited an outlet of Boyanika in the capital city here and purchased handloom products.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister urged the people to use handloom products and encourage the traditional weavers and artisans of Odisha as part of the Vocal for Local campaign.  

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called upon the citizens of India to use Khadi and handloom products during his monthly Mann Ki Baat address in 2014. He has been pleading for locally-produced as well as made in India goods for a self-reliant economy,” said the Chief Minister.

According to the Chief Minister, Mahatma Gandhi was a great advocate of Khadi and Handloom products. “Eminent personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya were the exponents of self-reliant economy. We all should prefer locally-made products to make our country self-sufficient,” he said.

Majhi also stated that the goal of a prosperous Odisha by 2036 and a developed India by 2047 can be achieved through the mass use of locally-made goods.

“No one can threaten us with tariff if we achieve the objective of a self-reliant economy,” Majhi stated.

According to the Chief Minister, the Jagannath culture also promotes the use of locally-produced goods. “Lord Jagannath himself always wears handloom clothes. Even today, vegetables like potato and tomato are not used in the preparation of Mahaprasad at Puri Jagannath temple,” he said.