Design and Development of Innovative Hand-Spinning Equipment for Enhancing Khadi Artisan Productivity and Income

Background: Khadi is a sustainable rural textile system based on hand-spun yarn and hand-woven fabric produced by decentralized artisans using manually operated Charkhas like the New Model Charkha. While it supports rural livelihoods, especially for women, existing systems still face issues of low efficiency, discomfort, inconsistent yarn quality, and limited productivity. Therefore, there is a need for an improved manually operated spinning system with better ergonomics, higher productivity, user-friendly design, and enhanced aesthetics, while preserving the traditional and sustainable nature of Khadi production. Description: To Design and develop an innovative, lightweight, portable, and ergonomic manually operated hand-spinning system to improve yarn production efficiency and quality, reduce manual effort, and enhance livelihood and income opportunities for Khadi women artisans in decentralized production. Expected Solution: • Development of a prototype manually operated innovative hand-spinning system with improved productivity, ergonomic efficiency, and reduced manual drudgery. • Comparative evaluation of the developed system with existing Charkha systems in terms of yarn quality, productivity, operational effort, portability, weight, and manufacturing cost. • Preparation of a deployment and dissemination framework for field trials, artisan adoption, and vendor development in the Khadi sector. • Cost-benefit analysis, economic impact assessment, and scalability roadmap for large-scale implementation.