Day: September 15, 2013

Bipin S. Nath
Information Assistant, Press Information Bureau, Kochi.
Though commerce graduates, B. Pushkala and Sasikala were like any other housewife in the locality doing their day to day household chores. But when they grouped themselves under a Self Help Group powered by Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), these women became role models for entrepreneurs in the whole of Puducherry. Their success story tells us how PMEGP, a credit linked subsidy programme of the Central Government, benefited thousands of small entrepreneurs across the country.
Pushkala and Sasikala, along with seven other women of Karaikal Kothalampet locality, formed a Self Help Group by the name ‘Navratna Mahalir Self Help Group’ four years ago. Now this group has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of paper cups and plates in Karaikal district. They began with a capital of Rs. 9 lakhs given as loan by Indian Bank, Karaikal branch, under PMEGP scheme. With Rs. 6.5 lakhs they purchased the paper cup machine from Sivakasi and the rest of the amount they invested on raw materials.
The group received asubsidy of Rs. 2.75 lakhs in between.
Under the brand name Karaikal Paper Cup, the group is currently catering to the needs of Karaikal port besides being the wholesale cup dealers in Karaikal and suppliers of cups to the coffee shops in and around the town. Within four years they managed to repay about 6.5 lakh rupees of the loan amount. Apart from paying for rent, electricity and other expenses, these women manage to take home around Rs. 1500 per month from their profits. “Now that the business is expanding…. we are planning to procure another paper cup making machine” says M. Thiruvalar Selvi, another member of the group. With people like Pushkala and Sasikala setting inspiring examples, Indian Bank, the lead bank of the district, is receiving more and more enquiries related to PMEGP nowadays. It is the women who are the flag bearers of such government schemes, feels Shri Dharmalingam, Chief Manager of Indian Bank, Karaikal.
Yes, these women, whose cup of joy is full, have truly shown the way to many others.
About PMEGP
Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) has been introduced by merging the two schemes, Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) and Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP). The scheme, launched on 15th August, 2008, is being implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a statutory organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of MSME, as the single nodal agency at the national level. At the state level, the Scheme is being implemented through State KVIC Directorates, State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs) and District Industries Centres (DICs) and banks. The Government subsidy under the Scheme will be routed by KVIC through the identified banks for eventual distribution to the beneficiaries / entrepreneurs in their bank accounts.
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/their-cups-of-joy-are-full-an-inspiring-story-of-karaikal-cup-makers/

M. S. Ansari, Information Assistant, Press Information Bureau, Kolkata
India is a democratic country where people of all community live in peace and harmony. All major religions of the world are found in India. As such, Hindus are the majority community and the minority community includes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) as notified under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
Minorities are playing a very vital role in India’s political and social upliftment, contributing significantly in the development of our country. Governments from time to time have formulated programmes and schemes for socio-economic upliftment of minorities.
For this purpose Government of India created the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which aims at empowering the minority communities and creating an enabling environment for strengthening the multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious character of our nation. It also aims at improving the socio-economic conditions of the minority communities through affirmative action and inclusive development, so that every citizen has equal opportunity to participate actively in building a vibrant nation.
To facilitate an equitable share for minority communities in education, employment, economic activities and to ensure their upliftment, Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities was announced in June, 2006. It provides programme specific interventions with definite goals which are to be achieved in a time bound manner. The objectives of the programme are: (a) Enhancing opportunities for education; (b) Ensuring an equitable share for minorities in economic activities and employment through existing and new schemes, enhanced credit support for self-employment and recruitment to State and Central Government jobs; (c) Improving the conditions of living of minorities by ensuring an appropriate share for them in infrastructure development schemes; and (d) Prevention and control of communal disharmony and violence.
An important aim of the programme has been to ensure that the benefits of various government schemes for the underprivileged reach the disadvantaged sections of the minority communities. In order to ensure that the benefits of these schemes flow equitably to the minorities, the programme envisages location of a certain proportion of development projects in minority concentration areas. The schemes included in the New 15-Point Programme are as under;
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme by providing services through Anganwadi Centres {Ministry of Women & Child Development}.Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme (KGBV) {Ministry of Human Resources Development} Aajeevika{Ministry of Rural Development} Swarnajayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) {Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation}Upgradation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) {Ministry of Labour & Employment}Bank credit under priority sector lending {Department of Financial Services}Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) {Ministry of Rural Development}
Also acting on the Sachar Committee report, the Government has initiated several measures as:
Universalization of access to quality education at secondary stage called Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).
One model college each would be set up in 374 educationally backward districts (EBDs) of the country.
Of 374 EBDs, 67 are among identified minority concentration districts.
Preference to be given by the University Grants Commission for provision of girls’ hostels in universities and colleges in the areas where there is concentration of minorities especially Muslims.Area Intensive & Madarsa Modernisation Programme has been revised and bifurcated into two schemes.
(a) Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM). It was attractive provision for better teachers’ salary, increased assistance for books, teaching aids and computers and introduction of vocational subjects, etc and the other scheme which provides financial assistance for Infrastructure Development of Private aided/unaided Minority Institutes (IDMI).
Academies for professional development of Urdu medium teachers have been set up at three Central Universities namely, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Jamia Milia Islamia University (JMIU), New Delhi and Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MAANU), Hyderabad.
Also, the Government has launched the Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) in 2008-09.
The programme aims at improving the socio-economic and basic amenity facilities for improving the quality of life of the people and reducing imbalances in the Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs).
Identified ‘development deficits’ are addressed through a district specific plan for provision of better infrastructure for school and secondary education, sanitation, pucca housing, drinking water and electricity supply, besides beneficiary oriented schemes for creating income generating activities.
Absolutely critical infrastructure linkages like connecting roads, basic health infrastructure, ICDS centers, skill development and marketing facilities required for improving living conditions and income generating activities and catalyzing the growth process are eligible for inclusion in the plan.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs is also providing several scholarships to the minority communities to empower them educationally and socially across the country. These include: (a) The Pre-matric scholarship scheme. (b) Post-matric scholarship scheme. (c) The Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme. (d) The Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF). (e) The Free Coaching and Allied Scheme.
(f) Leadership Development of Minority Women scheme. (g) Grant In Aid Scheme to State Channelising agencies of National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation.
In this way the Government is making every effort for upliftment of minorities so that they can stand with others side by side in all spheres of life.
(PIB Features.)
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Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/minorities-development-in-india-2/