Kite Fest inaugurated; Modi wants Gujarat kites to go global

Kite Fest inaugurated; Modi wants Gujarat kites to go global

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on January 11 said plans are afoot to increase the turnover of the kite industry in the state to Rs. 700 crore from the present Rs. 400 crore in next five years. For this purpose, Modi sought help from students of design institutes like National Institute of Design (NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), for designing new type of kites.

“Kite festival is connected with the poor people as it is they, who make the kites, which we fly,” Modi said after the 21st International Kite festival was inaugurated by Gujarat Governor Dr. Kamla at the Sabarmati riverfront here.

“There was a time the kite- making business was limited to Rs. 30-35 crore annually. But since we started organizing the KiteFestival, business of this industry has increased to over Rs. 400 crore,” he claimed.

“And in the next five years, we are planning to make the kite industry worth over Rs. 700 crore,” Modi said.

“I would like to request the students of design institutes like NID and NIFT, to come forward and research on new kind of kites. People of Gujarat will make kites designed by them and sell it in the international market,” he added.

Modi further announced that next year, he wanted to hold competitions for best slogan, songs and films on kites.

Dr. Kamla, while inaugurating the Kite Festival, said that kites were a symbol of positive energy. She further said that seeing hundreds of kites flying in the open sky, in itself was a unique experience.

More than 5,000 students of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)-run schools performed yoga routine, in sync with each other.

Over 100 kite-flying enthusiasts from 37 different countries participated in the Kite Festival. Besides these foreigners, 150 participants from across the country also showed their kite-flying skills during the festival.