SRINAGAR: After the Centre’s major push to local manufacturing, J&K Government has established 21,640 units under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) exceeding the target by a massive 544% with total capital of Rs 2101 crore across Jammu and Kashmir.
The PMEGP has worked wonders for Jammu and Kashmir and the UT leads ahead of all other states in self-employment opportunities under the PMEGP.
In 2021-22, KVIC had set a target of 3,360 PMEGP units in J&K but buoyed by the government’s major push to local manufacturing, it exceeded the target by a massive 544 per cent and J&K now stands way ahead of bigger states.
In 2021-22, a majority of the PMEGP units in J&K have been set up in districts like Baramulla, Badgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Bandipora and Doda. As many as 16,807 (78 per cent) of the 21,640 PMEGP units in J&K belong to the service sectors like beauty parlour, boutiques, embroidery, mobile/computer repair shops, and food outlets.
This is followed by 1,933 units (9 per cent) under rural engineering and biotechnology like steel fabrication and steel furniture, artificial jewelry making, vermicompost and bio-fertilizers units.
With record 21,640 manufacturing and service units, J&K stands way ahead of bigger states like Uttar Pradesh (12,594 units), Madhya Pradesh (8082 units), Tamil Nadu (5972 units), Karnataka (5877) and Gujarat (4140 units). A massive 1.73 lakh new employment in J&K in 2021-22, under PMEGP alone, is also the highest across all states and UTs in India.
The Central Government approved the introduction of a new credit-linked subsidy programme called PMEGP by merging the two schemes that were in operation like Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) for the generation of employment opportunities through the establishment of micro-enterprises in rural as well as urban areas.
PMEGP is a central sector scheme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME). The Scheme is implemented by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a statutory organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of MSME as the single nodal agency at the National level.
KVIC scripted a golden chapter of industrial growth and employment boom in Jammu & Kashmir. In the year 2021-22, KVIC in J&K has established the highest number of manufacturing and service units under its flagship scheme PMEGP and created the highest number of jobs in comparison with all other states and UTs in India.
Shabir Ahmad Khan, owner of MK Steel fabrications of Anantnag district is one of the successful contractor with J&K Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP) after setting up unit under PMGEP and is earning a good income.
“I worked with SICOP for five years, as a contractor. The work was good, but I always wanted to establish an independent business,” said Shabir Ahmad Khan.
Similarly, Nardeep Singh’s is also one of the success stories under PMGEP. When you’re desperate for something, it’s easy to cut corners, compromise your values and deliver an inferior product or service. But the businesses that manage to weather their growing pains and stick to their guns are the ones that last longest and shine brightest. Nardeep Singh is the founder of Singh Hydraulic equipments, a manufacturing unit of Hydraulic Equipments and other parts for vehicles.
Recently, J&K Bank was ranked number one by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (GoI) under the Khadi India Awards for its excellent performance in implementing the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in North India.
