High local demand for Mysuru silk sarees may push Govt to stop online sales

According to the written reply provided by the minister, the public-sector unit produced 310,667 sarees in the past three fiscals and sold 309,659 of them. Thirty additional electronic jacquard looms were provided to increase the supply of silk for the sarees, according to the reply.

Data shared in the Assembly showed that 98,277 sarees valued at Rs 206.35 crore were sold in 2022-23, resulting in a Rs 46.75-crore profit for KSIC. In the next fiscal, 1.08 lakh sarees worth Rs 248.4 crore were sold, with KSIC pocketing Rs 73.40 crore in profit. In the 2024-25 fiscal, 1.03 lakh sarees worth Rs 296.20 crore were sold. Profit for KSIC was Rs 101.15 crore.

Regarding the controversy over handing over KSIC land at T Naraispura for the taluk stadium, highlighted by Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, the minister said the land was picked as “some officials had misled” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

In a letter to the Government, the KSIC managing director had raised concerns that water supply lines to the silk factory’s silk extraction unit would be disrupted due to construction work for the stadium in a 5-acre area on the factory premises.

The Government has dropped the decision to construct the stadium there, Venkatesh said.

On long queues seen outside KSIC outlets, the minister said that such queues appear only during “seconds sales”, when sarees with minor defects are sold at discounted prices.