 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 8: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today chaired the 9th Executive Council Meeting of the Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) to undertake a comprehensive review of its performance under the UMEED (National Rural Livelihood Mission - NRLM) framework and to chart out a roadmap for strengthening rural livelihoods and women-led development across the UT.
The meeting was attended by Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD); Managing Director, JKRLM; Director General (Resources); Director General (Budget); Chief Operating Officer, HIMAYAT; Convenor, UTLBC, and other senior officers of the department.
During the deliberations, the Chief Secretary underscored the critical importance of enhancing credit linkages and strengthening the capacity of Self Help Groups (SHGs) so that they are able to transform into sustainable rural enterprises, reiterating that enterprise development remains the core objective behind the formation of SHGs.
He stressed the need for making Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs) functional in every district, ensuring delivery of high-quality training to SHG members through resource persons from OMPLIS. He emphasised that these centres should emerge as vibrant learning spaces where women feel encouraged to spend time acquiring new skills and upgrading existing ones.
Highlighting the role of financial inclusion at the grassroots level, the Chief Secretary directed that the income of Banking Correspondents (BCs) be enhanced substantially. He called for onboarding Common Service Centres (CSCs) and J&K Bank to increase transaction volumes, thereby improving the earnings and sustainability of BCs.
The Chief Secretary also directed the department to fully leverage the Lal Ded Stree Shakti Scheme and Mission YUVA, urging that women entrepreneurs be encouraged to move beyond the 'Lakhpati' benchmark. He set an ambitious target of doubling the number of 'Millionaire Didis' from the existing 50 to 100 within the next six months.
Earlier, Secretary RDD, Aijaz Asad, informed that the UMEED programme is currently being implemented across 285 blocks in all 20 districts of Jammu & Kashmir, covering almost the entire rural geography of the UT. He stated that 7,84,053 rural households have been mobilised into 96,000 Self Help Groups, which have further been federated into 7,453 Village Organisations (VOs) and 650 Cluster Level Federations (CLFs).
He added that to strengthen community institutions, capitalisation support of Rs 528.86 Cr has been provided to community-based organisations. Further, since 2013-14, Rs 2,912.66 Cr in bank credit has been accessed by 67,269 SHGs, significantly deepening financial inclusion and livelihood opportunities in rural areas. |
