Khadi is first sign of self-reliance: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as he visits Khadi store on Gandhi Jayanti

New Delhi [India], October 2 : Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and his wife, former UN Assistant Secretary-General and author Lakshmi M Puri, visited a Khadi store on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Wednesday. He said that Khadi is the first sign of self-reliance.
Hardeep Singh Puri said, "We come here every year. When he (Mahatma Gandhi) returned to India from South Africa, we were under British colonial domination. There are several methods to attain independence - through armed insurrection, revolution, and violence. But Gandhiji became the apostle of peace & non-violence. He produced a mass movement, an independence movement, against British rule. This not only made India independent, but it became the template for the rest of the world."
He further said that in 2014 waste reprocessing capacity was 15 to 16 percent in the country and in next two years it would become 100 percent.
"Today, the UN observes his contribution. Khadi is the first sign of self-reliance. Cleanliness is the next one...Today, on the 10th anniversary of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the least we can do is to offer 'shramdaan'. Today, the reprocessing capacity is 78%. It will be 100% in the next 2 years. Otherwise, earlier people used to keep their houses clean and dump the garbage outside. That used to end up at Ghazipur landfill. The credit goes to PM Modi for the change."
He further said that when PM Modi took responsibility in 2014, PM said that the best tribute that can be paid to Mahatma is to make India open-defecation-free
He further said, "In 2019 October 2, India became open defecation-free on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The legacy of Mahatma is very huge. Khadi is one part of it."
Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his birth anniversary at Rajghat in the national capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Minister Manohar Lal and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi paid his heartfelt tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, emphasising the lasting impact of Bapu's life and ideals based on truth, harmony and equality, and said that these principles continue to inspire the people of the country.
"On behalf of all countrymen, salutations to Pujya Bapu on his birth anniversary. His life and ideals based on truth, harmony and equality will always remain an inspiration for the countrymen," PM Modi said in a post on X.
PM Modi also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary.
In a post on X, "Respectful tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary, who dedicated his life for the 'jawan', 'kisan', and 'swabhiman' of the country."
Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is also known to be the 'Father of the nation'. The whole nation pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on this day and it is marked as a national holiday.