Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 16: Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Vivek Bhardawaj who is also holding the charge of Administrative Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department today held the UT Level Monitoring Committee (UTLMC) meeting of J&K Rural Employment Generation Programme (JKREGP).
The meeting was also attended by Secretary in Industries & Commerce (I&C) Department; Director I&C, Kashmir; Director I&C, Jammu; Director EDI; Secretary/CEO Khadi &Village Industries Board (KVIB); President UTLBC J&K Bank; President Government Schemes J&K Bank; Chairman J&K Grameen Bank; CGM State Cooperative Bank and other officers of J&K KVIB.
Bhardawaj emphasised upon the officers to make the process of establishment of income generating units under such programmes easy for all. He observed that such a kind of programmes are pivotal in reducing the unemployment here. He maintained that the applicants should be provided training through EDI for better management of the units in order to maximize their gains.
It was informed in the meeting that during the previous financial year (2021-22) an amount of Rs 25.00 crores was released for implementation of JKREGP in the UT. It was given out that the Board has disbursed margin money (subsidy) of Rs 24.62 crores to 893 income generating units involving bank loan of Rs 66.84 crores and providing employment avenues to 5358 persons.
Elucidating it was said that the target of Rs. 25.00 crores has been approved for the current financial year under this employment generation programme. The meeting was apprised that this margin money is earmarked for establishing 1231 income generating units throughout the UT.
It was further informed that the distribution of this subsidy amount is going to be done proportionately based on the rural population and previous performance of various Micro-Industrial schemes in each district.
It is envisaged that overall the scheme is slated to generate employment opportunities for about 7500 workers/artisans in the UT during the ensuing fiscal, as was disclosed in the UTLMC.