The Khadi Festival 2025 in Lucknow is infusing fresh energy into the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, bringing together tradition, innovation, and rural enterprise. Organised under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the festival at Central Sanskrit University, Gomtinagar, features over 160 entrepreneurs displaying a wide range of Khadi and village-industry products.

According to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, “The weavers who operate this solar charkha, or the technicians associated with it, the people connected to it, and then the businesspersons who handle its sale, by bringing all of them together and providing employment… this is the reason that in the past seven years, this department has contributed to providing employment to three and a half lakh people through Khadi.”

Once, Mahatma Gandhi described Khadi as the soul of India’s freedom movement. Now, it has emerged as a symbol of Swadeshi pride and the Aatmanirbhar mission. Exhibitions from all 18 divisions of the state have opened new markets for rural products. Last year alone, 2,000 units took part in various exhibitions, generating sales worth ₹44.38 crore.

Entrepreneurs at the festival have praised the government’s efforts to strengthen rural industries.

Mukesh Gupta, one of the participants, said, “Our Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, is doing very good work at the grassroots level. We also received this stall free of cost. The biggest thing is that we are able to showcase Khadi here. You will see that mostly Khadi garments are being sold here. And special thanks, countless thanks, to our Chief Minister.”

According to the Khadi and Village Industries Board, over 3.9 lakh people are now employed through Khadi-related activities, a 21% increase from last year. The Board’s plan to provide toolkits to 66,640 youth and connect them with self-employment opportunities is being hailed as a major boost to Uttar Pradesh’s youth-empowerment mission.

Visitors are enjoying the diverse offerings at the festival. Shipra, a visitor, said, “It feels very good that we are getting everything in one place. For example, we are getting Banarasi sarees, jaggery from different places, and rugs from elsewhere. So it feels really nice.”

Khadi's legacy continues to grow, becoming a pillar in the development of an independent Uttar Pradesh as rural artisans are acknowledged and given access to new markets.