MSKVIB’s Mahakhadi initiative gets global recognition 

Pune, April 19, 2018: Vishal Chordia, a renowned entrepreneur from Pune and the Chairman of the Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries Board (MSKVIB) was awarded with the prestigious ‘Global Citizen of the Year Award’ by the Global Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) for successful conceptualization and implementation of Mahakhadi initiative.

The award was presented to him at the hands of Kimberly Hickock-Smith, First CEO of EO during EO’s Global Leadership Conference held at Toronto, Ontario Canada yesterday. Brainchild of Chordia, the ‘Mahakhadi’ initiative is being implemented by MSKVIB to promote Khadi and to generate employment opportunities for the artisans from rural and urban areas.

EO Global Citizen Award is presented to those whose innovative and effective approach transcends borders, changes lives and sets an example for others. Chordia is the first Indian to receive this honor. He was among 12 nominations in the category, his name was selected by the Jury having 9 members.

Mahakhadi is an ambitious project of the state government and it is being implemented under the state government’s Khadi and Village Industries Board. The main objective is to promote Khadi and ultimately generate employment opportunities for artisans and others associated with Khadi. It also creates awareness about various government schemes and its benefits. A Mahakhadi Shoppie has also been established in Shivajinagar, which showcases various handmade articles produced by village artists. These articles are sold under the brand Mahakhadi. In the first phase itself it has provided platform to 50 producers and over 400 artisans to showcase their works at the Mahakhadi outlet.

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a Global business network of 12,000+ leading entrepreneurs in 173 chapters and 54 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. At its core, EO is a collection of like-minded entrepreneurs focused on business growth, personal development and community engagement. In addition to our mission, vision and core values, our global makeup is comprised of nearly 12,000+ individual member stories.