 Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 13: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to review the functioning of the Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) and directed for effective convergence of the Mission with Mission YUVA, PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), and the Lal Ded Stree Shakti Scheme to maximize employment generation and ensure sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across rural areas of the UT.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Finance; Secretary, Rural Development Department; Managing Director, JKRLM, Subhra Sharma; and representatives from J&K Bank.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that the core objective of JKRLM is to empower rural women through creation of sustainable livelihoods, and this goal can be best achieved by enhancing their access to credit and entrepreneurial support. He stressed upon adopting a convergence-driven model, ensuring that the benefits of various women-centric and employment generation schemes complement each other to deliver tangible outcomes on the ground.
He directed the Mission to cover at least 5,000 women under the LalDedStree Shakti Loan Scheme during the current year and further enhance credit linkage for Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and Custom Hiring Centres being established under the Mission.
He also called for strengthening the capacity-building ecosystem by establishing community-managed training centres (CMTCs), identifying local resource persons, and fostering an environment of collective learning and participation.
Managing Director, JKRLM, Subhra Sharma, presented an overview of the Mission's major achievements and initiatives aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods and promoting women's economic independence.
She informed that under the UMEED Programme, JKRLM has successfully mobilized 7.66 lakh rural households into 94,962 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across 20 districts and 265 blocks of the UT. A total capitalization support of Rs528.86 Cr has been provided to community-based organizations, while the SHGs have collectively accessed Rs2,806.06 Cr in bank credit since 2013-14 reflecting strong financial inclusion and repayment capacity.
Under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), 7,280 rural enterprises have been established across 14 blocks, with ?16.53 crore disbursed through the Community Enterprise Fund (CEF). The progress indicates a robust credit culture, with several SHGs now availing multiple doses of credit owing to their proven repayment track record.
The Mission is also expanding its digital financial footprint through the Banking Correspondent (BC) model. Presently, 710 SHG members are working as BCs - 553 with J&K Bank and 157 with J&K Grameen Bank who have together facilitated financial transactions worth ?123 crore during the current fiscal year.
JKRLM has also launched the "Lakhpati Didi" initiative, aiming to transform SHG members into micro-entrepreneurs earning over ?1 lakh annually. So far, 17,811 women have been trained under this initiative in collaboration with institutions like it is, NIFT, and the Central University of Jammu. |
