Provide successful business models for SHGs to emulate: Dr Sehrish
Srinagar: Mission Director, Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (RLM), Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar, today held a review meeting to review the progress of mission in district Pulwama and Shopian.
The meeting was attended by Mr. Sajid Yahya Naqash, Additional Mission Director- Kashmir, District Programme Manager, Block Programme Manager and MIS Assistants of blocks Pulwama, Shopian, Tral, Pampore, and other officials from the Mission.
While addressing the officials, Dr Sehrish impressed upon the officials that they should come up with few successful business models implemented elsewhere to maximize the profits of these SHGs. She asked them to look for their sustainability and assist them in upgrading them to enhance their earnings.
The MD also encouraged the officers to create strategy for increasing the profits of these SHGs besides giving them a marketing policy to propagate their sales manifold.
The MDsaid thatJKRLM (Umeed) scheme has given a significant platform to the SHGs members to increase their self-sufficiency. The women have not only come out of poverty but also has brought social change within their own families. The Umeed scheme is extensively based on capacity building and strengthening of community based institutions by federating women at different levels.
Dr Sehrish emphasized on the officials to improve the convergence under various livelihoods programme with other line departments for enhancing the livelihoods of the SHG women. She further directed them to organize special drives for the SHG women for availing the Aadhaar cards and ensure that the individual bank accounts are opened for all the women SHG members. She also stressed that the Block Programme Managers must ensure that the current fiscal targets are achieved, nevertheless adopting strictly the COVID -19 appropriate behavior and corresponding SOPs.
Dr Sehrish advised the officials to further strengthen the credit linkage as per the RBI guidelines and promote group enterprises for enhanced livelihoods both in Farm and Non- Farm livelihoods activities. She said the JKRLM is committed for bringing changes in the economic stability in rural areas and praised the perseverance of women that also in the prevailing difficult circumstances.
While updating the block progress the officials apprised the MD that 17667 rural women have been federated into 2116 SHGs and 188 Village Organizations; whereas an amount of Rs 728.90 lakhs has been provided to the SHGs as capitalization from the Mission. In addition, the SHGs have been credit linked with the banks to the tune of Rs 1182.00 lakhs. The SHG members have invested the amount in different livelihoods like dairy farms, fish ponds, bee keeping, poultry units etc. Besides under convergence various livelihood initiatives have been taken with line departments.