Hundreds of people of the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh took a stride towards self-reliance by associating with self-employment activities of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). At a grand event organized in Jhansi on Sunday, Minister of State for MSME, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verme distributed electric potter wheels, bee boxes and Agarbatti making machines to rural artisans of Jhansi district and adjoining areas of the Bundelkhand region. MP from Jhansi, Shri Anurag Sharma was also present on the occasion. An awareness program on Central Government’s flagship Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) was also inaugurated on the occasion.

The implements distributed by KVIC included 200 bee boxes, 100 electric potter wheels and 50 Agarbatti making machines. This will create a cumulative employment for over 600 local persons. KVIC has also provided training to these beneficiaries for carrying out activities at their doorsteps.

Shri Verma lauded the KVIC’s initiatives in the Bundelkhand region and said the machines given to these rural artisans would provide them with livelihood at their doorstetheir said, there is huge scope of employment creation in Uttar Pradesh, particularly the Bundelkhand region. The Minister added that the government is committed to expedite job creation by implementing flagship programs like PMEGP, Honey Mission and Kumar Sashaktikaran Yojana in the region.

Chairman KVIC Shri Vinay Saxena said, these schemes of KVIC are aimed at empowering the poorest of the poor people. He said, Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh is a focus area of KVIC where a number of schemes have been implemented to create self-employment for the farmers, unemployed youths and women.

During the last 3 years, KVIC has empowered over 300 potters’ families in Bundelkhand region, creating livelihood for nearly 1200 persons of the community. It has also given a big thrust to the PMEGP scheme by setting up nearly 11,000 new manufacturing units in the region and thereby, creating 8800 direct employment. To support these projects, KVIC also disbursed subsidy amount of Rs 75 crore. Also, 16 Khadi institutions are currently working in the Bundelkhand region that are engaged in spinning and weaving activities by mostly women artisans.

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