Weaving Heritage into Future: A Conversation with Ms Roop Rashi Mahapatra

In an era where fast fashion dominates the global textile landscape, Khadi stands as a timeless symbol of India's heritage, sustainability, and self-reliance.

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As the Khadi and Village Industries Commission navigates the challenges of modernisation while preserving tradition, who better to lead this transformation than Ms Roop Rashi, CEO of KVIC—a seasoned administrator with deep expertise in finance, textiles, and policy implementation over three decades. The TVC Media Team sat down with Ms Roop Rashi to explore her vision for Khadi's future, the lessons from her professional journey strengthening Textile Value chains as Textile Commissioner, GOI, and how this ancient craft can resonate with contemporary consumers while empowering millions of artisans across India.

Given your background in finance and textiles, what is your vision for modernising khadi at KVIC?

I joined the textiles sector in 2020 and come from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, 1994 batch. The Government of India has entrusted me with diverse assignments over the years—I've worked with speciality commodities like coffee, served as Secretary of Finance (Fiscal Reforms) for the Government of Karnataka, and focused extensively on financial inclusion at a granular level.

Khadi and village industries represent genuinely inclusive micro-enterprises. My experience in financial inclusion is directly relevant here because all the players in the khadi value chain—the manufacturers and artisans, whom I prefer to call ARTISTS of their unique crafts—need support through various financial instruments to transform their art into sustainable enterprises.