Srinagar, Mar 10: The Centre on Sunday provided 411 machines and toolkits under the Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana to the rural artisans of Kashmir and Jammu division at SKICC in Srinagar.
A statement of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) issued here said that during the distribution programme, 300 bee boxes were distributed to 30 beekeepers of Jammu through video conference under the Honey Mission Scheme, 100 electric wheels were given to 100 potters of Kashmir under the Kumbhar Empowerment Scheme, 10 hydra pulper papier-mâché machines were given to 100 artisans, under the ABFPI scheme 10 artisans were given a set of fruit and vegetable machines while training certificates were distributed to 200 trainees undergoing training at PMTC Pampore.
The machines and toolkits were provided to the rural artisans under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chairman Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Manoj Kumar distributed the machines and toolkits in the presence of KVIC Member, North Zone, Nagendra Raghuvanshi.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Kumar said, “With the guarantee of the Modi government, in the last 10 years, the reach of Khadi and Village Industries products has gone from local to global.”
He said that under the leadership of PM Modi, to connect the skilled artisans of rural India with the ongoing ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat Abhiyan’, KVIC was providing modern training to the artisans on a large scale along with toolkits and machinery.
“Under the Gramodyog Vikas Yojana, KVIC has so far distributed electric wheels to more than 27,000 potter brothers and sisters, which has brought a big change in the lives of more than 1 lakh potters. Under this scheme, more than 6000 toolkits and machinery have been distributed, while under the Honey Mission Scheme, more than 2 lakh honey bee boxes and bee colonies have been distributed to 20,000 beneficiaries so far,” Kumar said.
He said that by establishing direct communication with the Khadi artisans, more than 10,000 Khadi artisans were getting employment through 110 Khadi Institutions in the Jammu office.
“A total of 80 percent participation of Khadi artisans is by women. Through the PM’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) 54,252 new units have been set up in J&K in the last five years, to which an amount of Rs 1124.39 crore along with margin money subsidy of 27 percent (grant amount) has been given by the Centre. Through this, employment opportunities have been provided to 4,34,016 new people in 20 districts of J&K,” Kumar said.
Sharing his views with the artisans, he said that in the last 10 years, ‘New Khadi of New India’ had given a new direction to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.
“As a result, sales of Khadi products have increased more than four times during this period. With the increase in production and sale of Khadi, the artisans of rural India have become economically prosperous,” Kumar said.
He said that to realise PM Modi’s dream of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission was going to the villages and border areas of India and promoting various village industry activities like beekeeping, pottery, leatherwork, and incense sticks making.
Kumar said that the industry was providing skill development training to extremely poor workers in many rural cottage industries like waste wood and turnwood craft.
“Machinery and toolkits related to the relevant industry are distributed to the trained workers,” he said. “From 2018-19 to 2022-23, J&K has distributed about 8950 bee boxes and bee colonies to 895 beekeepers, electric wheels to 600 potters as well as related machinery and toolkits have been distributed to 40 workers involved in agarbatti manufacturing.”