Gandhigram Khadi Public Charitable Trust was awarded the best Rural Industries Unit Award for the year 2002 - 2003 and the award presented by the then Prime Minister at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 14-3-2003.

2006
New products that are available now are as follows:
1. Honey Date Jam - A general tonic for health
2. Hand pound rice, with AGMARK certification
3. Organic Gingelly oil AGMARK certified. Now also available in pouch packaging
4. Pickles - Lemon, mango, Garlic, Mango ginger and ginger
5. Siddha and Ayurvedic medicines for diabetics and rheumatism
6. Kumkumadhi Lehyam - Cosmetic cream that removes face pimples, blemishes and patches
7. Bath soaps and shampoos, ISI certified

Gandhigram has trained and developed a band of sales representatives called "Gandhigram Sales Representatives (GSRs)". They are educated unemployed boys and girls from rural areas or members of SHGs. They take the products of Gandhigram / SHGs to the village doorsteps.

The Gandhigram products reach the markets in Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli, Theni and Karur. There are nine directly managed sales outlets in Palani, Dindigul, two in Madurai, Thirunelveli, Ambasamudram, Kodai Road, Kasipalayam and T. Subbalapuram.
Contact Person: Sri. Shankar Narayanan, Deputy Secretary
Products promotion in-charge: Sri. Devraj

These khadi village units operate under the Gandhigram Trust umbrella and also promoted by Gandhigram and operated in the nearby villages. Some of these are housed within the Gandhigram campus and a few away from the campus. The following are some of the most on-campus prominent units.

Soap Making Unit
The Gandhigram makes the following soaps:
Neem Sandal Soap, Neem Toilet Soap and Gandhigram Herbal Toilet Soap.
These soaps are extremely popular.
Neem oil is the main raw material used for Gandhigram toilet soaps. This ensures that the toilet soap inherits all the benefits of the neem oil including antiseptic and treatment for infection. The soaps are prepared as per the BIS standards IS 2883-1983.

These soaps are prepared from base of vegetable oils like neem, palm, coconut and rice bran oils and free from animal fat.

Gandhigram have received ISI certification for its Neem, Neem Sandal and Escent Soap. Shri R.Venkataraman, former President of India, released these ISI marked soaps in a function in Madurai. A new aloe vera soap has also been introeuced in the market recently. This soap uses aloe vera gel as a moisturizing agent.

Honey Processing Unit
This unit employs 4 people. Raw honey from Marthandam near Kerala is cleaned and filtered and tested before being packed into 1 kg, ½ kg, 200gms and 100gms bottles. Agmark testing is done for each batch at Dindigul. The annual honey processing for the year 2003 - 04 was four tonnes and the turnover of Rs. 8 lakhs.

Bhavana inji, Bhavana jeeragam, nelli and inji marappa are also processed and made here and they generate additional revenue to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh per year.

This unit also manufactures 5 types of pickles which generates revenue of about Rs. 1 lakh per year.

Papad Making Unit
Started in 1993, this unit produces papad which is sold across the country under the brand name of Lijjat Papad and works on the principles evolved by the famous Lijjat Papad initiative. So far this unit has provided training for over 250 women in papad making and currently about 50-60 women belonging to self-help groups are employed by this unit in producing papads. The 'sisters' who make the papad each process about 6-8 kilos of dough per day and make papads out of them. They earn Rs.11/- per kilo and on an average earn Rs. 60 - 80/- per day. The objective is to ensure that each one of then can earn a minimum wage of Rs. 2000/- per month. The sisters elect one President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer from amongst themselves and they decide on all the developments of the unit. The unit also employs one accountant and 2 office assistants. An AGM is held every year to select the office bearers.

All the operational details, working hours, holidays are decided by the women themselves. The mixing of the dough each day is personally done by the President. Most of the raw materials are procured at the Lijjat Papad head quarters in Mumbai and only small amount of local purchase is done. This is to ensure the uniformity of taste and standards across the country. Weekly samples are sent for quality testing to Mumbai.

The unit employs district level distributor in Trichy and Tuticorin districts and directly markets the papads in Madurai. The marketing efforts concentrates on bulk buyers such as restaurants and department stores.
Contact Person: Mr. Gandhi

Paper Bag making unit
This unit employs about 5 people including one supervisor. The products produced including Paper bags and Envelopes (official, white). The entire process is by hand. The printing (screen printing) on the bag is also done here itself. They have orders from the government and for the internal use at Gandhigram by the siddha and ayurvedic medicinal unit under the LSS. Besides this, they also have orders for making bags for marriages. The unit is yet to evolve to continuous production for Gandhigram sales outlets and other retail shops.

The cost of bags start from Rs 3/-. They also make envelops which are priced at Rs. 0.50/- onwards. Promotion plans are on for both envelopes and paper bags.

Chappal-making unit
This unit employs 4 people. The starting price for the chappals are from Rs. 110/- onwards. Hand driven mechanical processes are used. The net sales (last year) was Rs 50,000/- per month. The products are sold through 12 sales outlets including Gandhigram showrooms.
Contact Person: Nedunchazhiyan

Fibre Products Unit
This unit produces Bags, curtains, mats, coasters, boxes and files using Jute and Plantain fibre. The raw material are procured in bulk for Jute from Madurai and for Plantain fibre from Nagercoil.

This unit employs a staff of 5 (full-time) + 3 (working from Home) people. The unit has a monthly turnover of Rs 10,000/-.

Besides sending to the Sales Outlets, they get specific orders from the internal units like Lakshmi Seva Sangham, the Hospital, local marriages and other events.
Contact Person: Shobakumari

Herbal Powders Processing Unit
5 people work in the unit. A Monthly turnover of Rs 60,000 /-
The raw materials are brought from Sirumalai with the herb collection out-sourced on need basis. The basic infrastructure consists of machinery to crush, grind and mix raw material to make the herbal powders.

V. Padmanabhan Anna Research Centre
Established in 1995, this team of 3 with the help of labourers constantly monitors the various village industry products and undertakes further research based on market feedback and product enhancement possibilities and emergence of newer technologies.

§ One of their research output is a low cost acid slurry manufacturing process which is managed in a unit at Kasipalayam.
§ The centre has also come up with an unique washing powder for natural dye fabrics without compromising on their eco-friendly quality, this product is awaiting production.
§ The centre has also extracted aloe vera juice and has tried its application for toilet soap and cosmetics; the products are under trial for commercial release.

Other products being researched are:
Neem oil emulsifier giving natural pesticide, Urea coated neem cake, Neem shampoo, Ayurvedic fairness cream, Ayurvedic thailam being converted to cream for easy packaging - pinda thailam, doovadhi thailam under study and an all natural hand made ayurvedic soap - this 100% natural product with the processing and raw material and packaging all completely environment friendly aims to be the first of its kind in India - it will be the first soap that will go for eco-mark in India.

Oil Extraction Unit
The centre also provides training on neem oil and other non-edible oil extraction for villagers with CAPART support and funding. This training along with a stipend is open for local women and artisan.

Currently processing oils edible and non-edible - Neem (5-6tons/yr.), castor (6 tons / year), mahua and pungai (1 ton / yr). These are used for the soap making in the soap making units.
Contact Person: Sri. Murugesan