Thousands of school children in Arunachal Pradesh will be sporting tricolour ‘khadi face masks’ as they return to their schools post COVID-19 lockdown from November 16.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has supplied 60,000 high quality khadi cotton face masks for school children as the Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to reopen schools from November 16 for classes 10 and 12.
The purchase order assumes great significance as this is for the first time that a state government in Northeast India has purchased such a huge quantity of khadi face masks for its students.
The procurement order was issued on November 3, and in just six days, KVIC has supplied the requisite masks to the government considering the urgency involved. In order to ensure timely delivery of masks, KVIC has dispatched the consignment by air.
KVIC has provided double-layered, tri-colour cotton face masks to Arunachal Pradesh government with its logo suitably placed on the masks.
Double twisted khadi fabric has been used for manufacturing of these masks as it helps retain 70 per cent of the moisture content inside, while providing an easy passage for the air to pass through. These masks are, therefore, skin-friendly and suitable for long duration use.
“This is a prestigious order for KVIC and such big orders create additional job for khadi artisans. We have supplied the order in just six days while ensuring the highest quality standards of face masks,” KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena was quoted as saying by PIB.
KVIC has sold 23 lakh face masks in just over 6 months since it was launched in April this year. Owing to the comfort and high quality of face masks, KVIC has received several bulk orders including 12.30 lakh face masks from the Indian Red Cross Society. It has also received repeat orders from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Prime Minister’s Office, several state governments and central government ministries and PSUs apart from the general public.
