New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) The Centre’s Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) disbursed online margin money subsidies to the tune of Rs 504.68 crore for 22,259 new projects to village artisans and micro enterprises across the country under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises on Thursday.

Banks have sanctioned loans worth approximately Rs 1,485 crore for these projects, which are expected to generate employment opportunities for 244,849 people, the statement said.

The distribution of funds took place at a ‘Khadi Rozgar Utsav’ organised at Siwani in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. KVIC Chairman Manoj Goyal and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini presided over the event, in which 3,645 modern machines and toolkits were also distributed virtually to 972 artisans across seven states and union territories, which apart from Haryana, included New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Tripura.

KVIC Chairman Manoj Goyal said the Khadi and Village Industries sector has achieved remarkable milestones. The total production has risen to approximately Rs 1.25 lakh crore, and the turnover has reached a record level of Rs 1.87 lakh crore. He further stated that the sector has provided employment to 2.04 crore people across the country. He endorsed this achievement to the collective efforts of lakhs of artisans, weavers, rural entrepreneurs, and Khadi institutions nationwide. The Khadi and Village Industries sector has now set an ambitious turnover target of Rs 2.51 lakh crore.

The KVIC chairman further highlighted that over the past 12 years, more than 10.84 lakh new units have been established across the country under the PMEGP, for which the government has provided margin money subsidy amounting to Rs 29,623 crore resulting in employment for approximately 97.95 lakh people.

Chief Minister Saini said that khadi was a symbol of Swadeshi and has symbolised the labour, dignity, and self-respect of crores of Indians since the freedom movement itself.

The Chief Minister said that approximately 58,796 artisans are finding employment through 96 active Khadi and Village Industries institutions in Haryana. Likewise, more than 1.27 lakh people in the state have secured employment under the Village Industries Development Scheme.

The Chief Minister further stated that it is a matter of pride that 80 per cent of the artisans associated with the Khadi sector were women. This transformation shows a new revolution in women’s empowerment.

“We are putting in place a comprehensive system to ensure that the excellent products created by these groups reach markets across the country and abroad, through both local outlets and e-commerce platforms,” he added.

–IANS

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