STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Khadi and Village Industries Board (J&K KVIB) has released a whopping amount of Rs. 348.48 crore as margin money (subsidy) in favour of entrepreneurs who had applied loan from the board since 2019.
These details were given in a presser held on Tuesday by Vice Chairperson KVIB, Dr Hina Shafi Bhat at Press Club, Jammu.
VC informed that the board has released this amount to 15,459 unit holders under JK Rural Employment Generation Programme (JKREGP) and Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) directly benefitting 118,188 individuals of the UT in these 3 years.
Dr Bhat said that KVIB has no cap on extending assistance to local youth and can provide handholding to any number of youth willing to start their enterprises in the UT.
She stated that 5338 women entrepreneurs have been assisted by the board under its various programmes including providing subsidy of Rs. 1.58 crore to 49 ex-servicemen and war widows. Besides, J&K KVIB is establishing eight clusters under handloom, handicrafts and beekeeping sectors under Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of traditional Industries (SFURTI) of Union Ministry of MSME, she informed. She informed that the clusters are being established with an approved assistance of Rs 20 crore from the Union Ministry of MSME involving 10000 artisans/beekeepers, directly and indirectly, in line with the promises made by PM Modi. Dr Bhat said that she encourages the youth of J&K to apply for the relevant schemes being implemented by the board. She said that it could be done online by following few simple steps before submitting their applications for availing the benefits on offer.
VC highlighted that KVIB has worked hard in fighting Covid-19 by manufacturing more than 11 lakh masks thereby creating approximately 10,500 man days of work. VC also announced that a major chunk of youth resides in urban areas and the board is contemplating to start the J&K Urban Employment Generation Programme to reach out to them so that these educated youth get employment for earning their livelihoods.