SRINAGAR: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, today inaugurated a 10-day Exhibition-cum-Mega sale of products made by beneficiaries financed by J&K SC, ST, and BC Development Corporation at Kashmir Haat here.
The event is being sponsored by the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, and organized by J&K SC, ST & BC Development Corporation.
Addressing the participants from different parts of J&K, Advisor Bhatnagar said that the main objective of organizing this exhibition is to provide a platform for the beneficiaries of the Corporation to display and sell their products. He added that the present administration is giving prime focus on self-employment and various schemes have been started in that direction.
Advisor highlighted that under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, the government’s aim is to uplift the lowest strata of the society by providing them good governance at their doorsteps. He added that the government is committed to providing a marketing platform as well as any kind of help to the beneficiaries associated with J&K ST, SC, and BC Development Corporation.
Advisor Bhatnagar called upon the management of the Corporation to increase the targets of providing financial help to beneficiaries besides a digital platform should be established for loan applications and disbursement.
Advisor appreciated the role of Managing Director and asked the officers of the Corporation to gear up their efforts to make the Corporation an ideal service institution. He asked for creating awareness about the schemes among the targeted group so that the schemes of the Corporation may reach the deserving persons at the grassroots level. He also asked the participant beneficiaries to give wide publicity of the schemes/programmes of the Corporation in their respective areas.
In her speech, MD, J&K SC, ST & BC Development Corporation, Ulfat Jabeen, gave details about achievements recorded by the Corporation, so far. She informed that the Corporation is working for the socio-economic and educational upliftment of weaker sections of the society, i.e. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Notified National Minorities, Safai Karamcharis, and Persons with Disabilities.
She added that the Corporation provides soft loans to the unemployed persons of the target group in collaboration with six National Level Corporations of the Government of India including the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) for the establishment of income-generating units to improve their socio-economic condition.
MD further said that the Corporation also provides Educational loans at very low rates of interest to the students of the target group families who are pursuing Technical and Professional Courses in India and abroad. She also informed that the Corporation under its various schemes, so far, has provided loan assistance to the tune of Rs.320.52 crore to 41383 beneficiaries for setting up of income generating units.
It was also informed by the MD that during the first two months of the current financial year against the target of 1150 cases, Corporation has sanctioned loans in favor of 230 beneficiaries to the tune of Rs. 6.90 crore and the targets set for the current financial shall be achieved within the stipulated time.
Later, Advisor inspected all the stalls set up by the beneficiaries and interacted with individual beneficiaries who were provided loan assistance by the Corporation.
During the event, Advisor Bhatnagar also distributed loan sanction orders among beneficiaries for an amount of Rs.1.86 crore.
