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Air India has placed an order for 10,000 Mysore silk sarees which would that will fetch it revenues of Rs 6.5 crore.
"The fame of Karnataka's famous Mysore silk sarees will soar to the sky with Air India (AI) placing an order for 10,000 sarees that will bring Rs 6.5 crore in revenues in a single transaction," Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) chairman D Basavaraj said today.
"The order has come after AI examining the quality of the Mysore silk sarees. They will be worn by AI's air hostesses. With this order, the fame of Mysore silk sarees will reach the skies," he told reporters here. "KSIC had also received orders for the supply of silk shawls from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. These will be for presenting to the dignitaries," he added.
The once famous spun silk factory at Channapatna will be revived soon. The state government had released Rs 6 crore for setting up a new unit there.
Besides, the sale of the erstwhile mill had yielded Rs 3.24 crore. With this entire sum of Rs 9.24 crore, a new factory will be set up. The process of importing machinery for it has begun, the chairman said.
Basavaraj said, the KSIC had recorded Rs 127 crore turnover and registered a net profit of Rs 16.68 crore after paying Rs 4.5 crore in Income Tax and Rs 1.15 crore government's share for 2013-14. It was producing international quality sarees in prices ranging from Rs 12,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh a saree.
Preparations were also going on for installation of 10 more weaving machines at Rs 60 lakh to manufacture sarees with new designs. Machinery worth Rs 1.35 crore was being imported from China for producing quality yarn. These machines would be installed at the T Narasipur silk filatures.
KSIC had received invitation to the international expo to be held as part of 'Vibrant Gujarat' from January 7 to January 13.
Besides KSIC, the Handicrafts Development Corporation, Karnataka Soaps and Detergents and Handloom Weavers Development Corporation would also participate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visiting the KSIC pavilion on January 8.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari's wife Salma Ansari was a regulay customer of Mysore silk sarees. She will be visiting the Bengaluru emporium on January 5. She had bought sarees last year too, the KSIC chairman said.
