Srinagar: Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is proving a game changer for women in Jammu and Kashmir.
Data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor revealed that 14,943 projects have been set up by women under PMEGP in the last three years. Around 1, 19,544 qualified youth have been provided jobs in these units.
This year alone, 3188 projects have been set up by women. Around 25,504 youth have been employed in these projects.
Figures suggested that 8,520 and 3,235 projects were set up by women in 2021-22 and 2020-21, which employed 68,160 and 25,880 youth, respectively.
A flagship scheme of the Union MSME Ministry, PMEGP was launched in 2008 by subsuming the erstwhile Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) implemented by KVIC and Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) implemented by District Industries Centers
An official said that more women from Jammu and Kashmir were setting up units ranging from apparel to handicrafts, restaurants, and others.
“If we talk about apparel, we have a very huge number of women, who have set up boutiques. Women also foray into handicrafts, hospitality, and health,” he said.
Figures reveal that a total of 33,390 women-owned enterprises have also come up in Jammu and Kashmir during the last three years through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) for which the Centre released Rs 870.45 crore.
As many as 13,320 units have come up this year so far with a fund backing of Rs 360.96 crore.
Last year 13,494 enterprises and 6,576 in 202-21 came up under CGTMSE in Jammu and Kashmir, figures revealed.
The government released Rs 349.03 crore and Rs 160.46 crore respectively during two consecutive financial years.
Moreover, this year, a total of 12,747 units including Micro, Small, and Medium owned by women have been registered in Jammu and Kashmir through Udyam.
In 2021-22, 13,339 units and 3,005 units in 2020-21 by women were registered through the Udyam portal from Jammu and Kashmir.
Last month Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha highlighted the efforts of the government for promoting women entrepreneurship by building strong grassroots institutions.
