Promote diversified livelihood opportunities for SHGs in Farm and Non-Farm sectors: Dr Sehrish

SRINAGAR – Mission Director Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM), Dr. Syed Sehrish Asgar today convened a virtual meeting to review the progress of RLM in District Reasi.

The meeting was attended by Riyaz Ahmad Beigh, Additional Mission Director, Kashmir, State Project Managers RLM, District Programme Managers, Block Programme Managers, MIS Assistants of District Reasi and other officials of the Mission.

On the occasion Dr Sehrish Asgar impressed upon the officials to promote diversified livelihood opportunities for SHGs in farm & non-farm sectors in the district. The main focus of the Mission is to create opportunities for rural livelihoods. The Mission has been successful in facilitating the SHGs to access various financial Institutions for loans, which is significant for establishing the livelihoods, she added.

Adding further Dr Sehrish said that under convergence with various departments, the SHG members can establish their livelihoods both in Farm Sector and Non-Farm Sector. Invariably across all the rural areas, there is a huge potential for dairy farming. The need of the hour is to tap this opportunity for our SHGs through Prime Ministers Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme and Animal husbandry department.

She stressed upon the officials to use common branding for promotions of SHG products from various blocks and districts and register the livelihoods in the respective sector and promote appropriate Farmer Production Organization (FPOs) / Producer Enterprises for collective production and sales.

She also impressed upon the officials to encourage the SHG individual members to open their bank accounts. The SHG member who has individual bank account can avail overdraft facility of Rs 5000/- for their small consumption needs, she said

The Mission director directed the officials to constantly update the SHG members in the meetings in their respective blocks on various social, livelihood entitlements and also impressed upon them to encourage the SHGs to resolve their day to day social issues through constant and concerted efforts.

While informing the meeting about progress of Blocks, the officials apprised that 15990 rural women have been federated into 1896 SHGs and an amount of Rs. 8.76 crore had been provided to the SHGs as capitalization from the Mission.

It was given out that in addition, the SHGs have been credit linked with the Banks to the tune of Rs 15.67 Crore. The SHG members have invested the amount in different livelihoods like, Handicrafts, Zip line, Poultry, Aromatic products, Sanitary napkins besides under convergence various livelihood initiatives have been successfully initiated with other line departments.