Women make up about 80% of India's nearly five lakh Khadi artisans

Women make up about 80% of India's nearly five lakh Khadi artisans, according to government information on the Khadi and village industries sector reported on Friday, October 9, 2026. The update, linked to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), also set out steps taken to raise artisans' incomes and widen Khadi's reach abroad. These include higher wages for spinning and weaving from April 2025, the Geographical Indication (GI) tag granted to Ponduru Khadi from Andhra Pradesh, and the display of Indian handmade fabrics, including Ponduru Khadi, Bharat Kasturi Cotton and Bengal Muslin, at the first BRICS MSME Forum in Agra.

Khadi is often talked about as a symbol, but behind each length of fabric is a spinner or weaver, and most of them are women. A workforce that is four-fifths female means that any change in Khadi wages, demand or pricing directly affects women's earnings, especially in villages and small towns where other paid work can be scarce. Spinning and weaving can often be done close to home, which helps women combine income with care responsibilities.

That is why the wage revision from April 2025 matters. Higher wages make the work more viable and can help keep younger women in the craft rather than leaving it for other jobs.

The GI tag for Ponduru Khadi adds another layer of protection. Fine handspun fabrics are easy to imitate with machine-made cloth sold under the same name. A GI tag gives legal backing to the original, which can help genuine producers command better prices and push back against fakes.

For the fashion industry, the push to showcase fabrics such as Ponduru Khadi, Bengal Muslin and naturally coloured cotton at international forums is a signal. Designers and brands looking for sustainable, traceable materials have a growing domestic supply to draw on. Naturally coloured cotton, which needs less dyeing, fits the demand for lower-impact textiles. Stronger branding, if it reaches the market, could help Khadi move beyond government emporiums into mainstream fashion retail.

The open question is whether these steps translate into steady orders and higher take-home pay for the women at the start of the chain. Recognition at forums and legal tags are useful, but artisans benefit only when buyers pay fair prices for authentic products.

Short-term: Women Khadi artisans gain from the wage revision already in force, and Ponduru weavers have a GI tag to market their fabric as authentic.

Long-term: If branding and international promotion raise demand, more women could earn a stable income from spinning and weaving, and Indian handmade fabrics could find a larger place in sustainable fashion.

Who is affected: Women spinners and weavers in Khadi institutions, Ponduru's weaving community, fashion designers and brands sourcing handmade and sustainable fabrics, and buyers of Khadi products.

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