To empower women, the Ministry of Rural development is fostering self-employment and giving skills training through the development of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in remote areas of Budhal block in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is aimed at reducing poverty by strengthening poor institutions, particularly women’s institutions and enabling them to access a variety of financial services.
Block Programme Manager Kamran Hanif stated, “We help these women to avail social security schemes in the form of pensions, insurance and others. Apart from that, we also provide loans and help them to connect with banks. We also promote their livelihoods to increase their income.”
“SHGs are comprised of 5,500 women who are affiliated with us. They are taught skills such as cutting, tailoring and embroidery,” he noted. The components are implemented by State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) or partner institutions or NGOs and SHGs are encouraged to boost self-employment.
Special SHGs are there for Elders, differently-abled people, transgender people and those from distant tribal communities.
Through various self-help groups, The Jammu Kashmir government is also conducting handicraft centres in the Rajouri district’s border areas. In the Nalli village of Manjakote block in the Rajouri district, twenty girls are currently undergoing advanced training for two years. The girls that participate in the training lack sufficient formal education for a variety of reasons and are mainly from low-income families. Through a centre like this, these girls are learning a new skill that will help them grow as individuals.
