Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is endeavouring to make khadi a part of Prime Minister Employment Guarantee Programme (PMEGP) with the motive of strengthening its position in the market.
KVIC CEO Arun Kumar Jha intimated these plans while conversing with representatives of non-Governmental organisations during an interactive session on role of NGOs under PMEGP. The session was organised during the three-day awareness camp on the employment generation programme by Vikas Bharti to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Bheem Rao Ambedkar.
“Efforts are being made to establish more khadi production units and making khadi eligible for subsidy under PMEGP will help in strengthening it,” stated Jha.
“In recent times, there is variety as well as demand for the varied range of khadi products. Entrepreneurs in Jharkhand should take up khadi production and diversify it, we will extend a helping hand in terms of exposure to modern khadi production units and practices and designers. As for marketing, we are going to add 5,000 new retail outlets to the already functioning 8,000 ones,” he added.
Opening the session, Vikas Bharti Secretary Padma Shri Ashok Bhagat stated, “PMEGP will breathe a new life in entrepreneurship and employment generation. The initiative has to be taken up by individuals as well as institutions. The prospects are immense in KVIC but it has been somewhat limited. Inclusion of new sections working for social welfare in the Commission has not been seen in recent times.”
In PMEGP, focus should not be only on generating employment but creating jobs which conform to the prevalent scenarios in Jharkhand, stated Jharkhand Khadi and Village Industries Board Chairman Jainandu. “This scheme should reach the poor in the hinterlands of Jharkhand. Jobs should be created according to geographical conditions, structure and raw materials available in Jharkhand,” he said.
Bringing skilled entrepreneurs under the aegis of PMEGP was also underlined in the course of discussions. “PMEGP can achieve 100 per cent success rate if its beneficiaries are skilled in the job they take up. People should opt for skill development institutes and these bodies should encourage them to draft a project report during the term of their training. I would request Vikas Bharti to follow the same procedure in its subsidiary bodies,” Jha said. Sharing the figures associated with PMEGP, Deputy CEO, KVIC KS Rao stated, “in the past six years, the programme has generated 3.20 lakh entrepreneurs, who in turn went on to create more than 30 lakh jobs. The subsidies given under PMEGP have also been put to good use: in the review conducted after three years of the programme, 82 per cent of the enterprises were found functional.”