Why did Mahatma Gandhi lay emphasis on spinning yarn and weaving khadi?
Mahatma Gandhi laid emphasis on spinning yarn and weaving khadi because handspun khadi provides large scale employment to weavers in their homes as a cottage industry.
In ancient India, cotton textiles were produced with hand spinning and handloom weaving techniques. However, our traditional industries suffered a setback during the colonial period because they could not compete with the mill-made cloth from England.
Gandhi promoted khadi to revive these traditional industries and support self-reliance.
Explanation
The textbook context clearly mentions that handspun khadi provides large-scale employment as a cottage industry. It also explains that traditional industries suffered during colonial rule due to competition from British mill-made cloth. Gandhi's emphasis on khadi was thus both an economic measure (employment generation) and a political stance against colonial exploitation.