The Umeed JK Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) is transforming the lives of rural women. 60,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are employing 5,02,641 women beneficiaries. The SHGs have been granted Rs 890.55 crore as bank credit, Out of this Rs 273.88 crore capital has been utilised by them. Many (SHGs) have mobilised Rs 168.88 crore from their own savings.
Winds of change are blowing across Jammu and Kashmir, where the administration is trying to usher in a new season of hope, promise and fulfillment by promoting a culture of female entrepreneurship and bring in an era of true women’s empowerment.
Today, thousands of women have taken up the gauntlet and are pioneering business projects across the Union Territory (UT)
Backed by their positive approach and financial assistance, the UT administration has rolled out several schemes and incentives to allow enterprising women to expand their horizons and help in rebuilding the brand ‘Jammu and Kashmir’.
Some schemes have shown incredibly success. The biggest of them all, the UMEED scheme (JK Rural Livelihood Mission) is transforming the lives of rural women.
It aims to reduce poverty in the UT at the grassroots level by involving people in making local products from easily available resources that can translate into gainful employment. JKRLM is the change-maker in the UT: 60,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) employing 5,02,641 women beneficiaries.
So far, Rs 890.55 crore bank credit has been granted to SHGs promoted by UMEED JKRLM, and Rs 273.88 crore capital has been utilised by them from JKRLM. Many (SHGs) have mobilised Rs 168.88 crore from their own savings.
To maintain a minimum representation of women in UT’s youth programmes and missions, the government is actively encouraging women to join. The Mission Youth Programme has more than 8,000 women members.
At the Panchayat level, 6,000 women have been granted assistance to become entrepreneurs .
With just 30-day entrepreneurship training with JKRLM UMEED at the Block Training Centre, women are getting empowered to earn a livelihood by making jams, pickles, sauces, chutneys, and concentrates. The women have also been helped by the Mission in setting up processing and preservation units in their homes.
Subsidised raw materials, interest-free loans, and free marketing of their products by government agencies have lit a spark and given rural women a larger purpose in life.
Fairs and exhibitions across Jammu and Kashmir, and India’s metropolises have given them a larger-than-life platform to showcase their skill set. As many as 40 products made by the SHGs have been made available on e-commerce websites including Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho.
The JKRLM is not just a scheme but a movement with almost 5 lakh women under its wing, working in some capacity or the other to become economically independent. The long-term aim is to make 66 per cent of the rural population self-sufficient, independent and poverty-free.
Two women entrepreneurs of SAATH scheme (Rural Enterprises Acceleration Programme) — Kiran from Reasi and Ghazala from Kupwara were recently felicitated with the title of ‘Emerging Entrepreneur’ by the Ministry of MSME for their outstanding achievements.
Special scholarship schemes like Pragati and Saksham Scheme are being also being granted to outstanding women students. Kashmir University produced 94 gold medalists in 2021, of which 66 were girls. Islamic University of Science and Technology also showed a similar trend.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has said that to uplift a society its women must to empowered, therefore all efforts have to be made in the direction of skill training and upskilling women.
The JKRLM is not just a scheme but a movement with almost 5 lakh women under its wing working in some capacity or the other to become economically independent. The long-term aim is to make 66 per cent of the rural population self-sufficient, independent and poverty-free.
To make it easier for JKRLM to achieve its goals, the government is promoting the idea of ‘one district one product’ and institutional credit to women, especially for priority sectors like Horticulture and Handicrafts.
In far-flung areas, women are being trained in handicraft skills through centrally sponsored schemes. Crafts of embroidery, crewel, tailoring and stitching, are being taught through the government’s special skill development programmes.
Handloom centres have done exceptionally well in the Pulwama district resulting in employment opportunities for women. These centres not only teach but provide a regular stipend to the women and girls so that after one or two years of craft training, they can set up and run a unit at their own homes.
Artisans and weavers are being supported through the Mudra Scheme for financial assistance, Artisan Credit Card Scheme, etc. Pulwama presently has 20 handicraft centres and 4 handloom training centres, offering courses of one to two years. South Kashmir’s geography is fast changing with these initiatives, with a focus on financial well-being over terror activities.
Women are also being encouraged to pursue sports as hobbies and creative outlets, and for health, fitness and wellness. Last week the Lieutenant Governor, Gen. Manoj Sinha met members of Jammu and Kashmir’s first women’s cycling club — Women Do Ride — at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu.
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