With the ₹40 crore boost cleared by the Karnataka Cabinet, a group of Gandhians has called for revitalising the historic Badanavalu Khadi Centre in Nanjangud taluk into a model of sustainable rural industry rooted in Gandhian principles.
The recommendation comes months after the State Cabinet, during a meeting held at Malai Mahadeshwara Hills near Mysuru in April 2025, gave its nod for the financial assistance. The allocation follows a promise made during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Khadi centre on Gandhi Jayanti Day in 2022 during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Badanavalu Satyagraha: Meeting resolves to strengthen villages, their economy
Subsequently, the Karnataka Khadi Board sought a report from a group of Gandhians on the roadmap for the Badanavalu Khadi’s Centre’s revival. The report by Prasanna from Gram Seva Sangh, Jayadev from Deena Bandhu Ashram, Chamarajanagar, and Professor Shivraj from Gandhi Bhavan, Bengaluru — all are recipients of the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Seva Puraskar — was submitted to D.R. Patil, Chairperson of the Decentralization Committee of Government of Karnataka, during his visit to Badanavalu recently, in the presence of Nanjangud MLA Dhruvanarayan.
