Dhamtari, Oct 16 (IANS) With Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisaging a nation where all youth are economically empowered and self-reliant, with access to meaningful employment, the Central government is implementing the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).

Under this scheme, loans are being provided for the establishment of small and micro industries, along with substantial government subsidies. This initiative is offering youth better opportunities to start their own ventures, enabling them not only to become independent but also to generate employment for others.

One such success story comes from Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, where a young man is shaping his future by taking full advantage of the scheme. In a time when unemployment is one of the country’s biggest challenges, and many young people focus solely on securing government jobs, PM Modi’s PMEGP scheme is providing an alternative path, empowering youth to establish their own businesses.

Under the PMEGP, the government facilitates loans of up to Rs 10 lakh for setting up industries, with a subsidy of up to 40 per cent provided by the government.

Shakir Khan, a resident of Dhamtari, is one of the many beneficiaries of the scheme. He has started a small restaurant using a Rs 10 lakh loan under PMEGP. Today, he is supporting his family and earning a good income. Expressing his gratitude, he thanked Prime Minister Modi for launching a scheme that has helped him stand on his own feet.

Launched in August 2008, the PMEGP is a credit-linked subsidy programme administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The aim of the scheme is to generate employment opportunities through the establishment of micro-enterprises in both rural and urban non-farm sectors.

The scheme has been approved for continuation during the 15th Finance Commission cycle, covering five years from 2021–22 to 2025–26. PMEGP was formed by merging two previous schemes—the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) and the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP), both of which were operational until March 31, 2008.

An outlay of Rs 13,554.42 crore has been approved for PMEGP over these five financial years to support the establishment of approximately 4,00,000 projects and the creation of 30,00,000 jobs, with an average of eight persons employed per unit. Additionally, 1,000 existing units will be upgraded each financial year.

–IANS

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