Latest news with #PMEGP
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Portal closed for business, startup dreams on hold
Ludhiana: Aspiring entrepreneurs of the city have been left stranded as fresh loan applications under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) remain inaccessible largely for the fourth consecutive month of the current financial year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Since April, the online portal for PMEGP — a flagship self-employment scheme — was completely shut for two months and has only recently reopened partially. As of now, only applicants from the scheduled caste (SC) category are allowed to submit applications. General category applicants, who constitute a significant share of aspiring business owners, continue to face an indefinite freeze. "There has never been such a blanket closure since the scheme launched in 2008," said Bhupinder Singh, functional manager at the District Industries Centre (DIC), Ludhiana. "The application process has continued uninterrupted even with changes in govt. This is the first time we've seen a prolonged stoppage." Growing Demand PMEGP is administered by the MSME (micro, small & medium enterprises) ministry and implemented nationally by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). At the state and district levels, it is executed by KVIC directorates, state khadi boards, and district industries centres. The scheme offers financial assistance for setting up new micro-enterprises in both manufacturing and service sectors, based on a credit-linked subsidy model. Under current guidelines, applicants can seek loans of up to ₹50 lakh for manufacturing and ₹20 lakh for service or trading units, with a govt subsidy of 15 to 35%, depending on the category and area. District officials say demand has surged in recent years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Our annual allocation target was ₹3 crore earlier, but last year the demand rose to ₹20 crore," said Bhupinder Singh. No Clarity From Centre Rakesh Kumar Kansal, general manager of the DIC, confirmed that the shutdown was due to technical restrictions from the central govt. "The portal was non-functional for two months after April. It now accepts only SC category applications. We're awaiting further instructions from the Centre on when general category processing will resume," he said. The delay has left many prospective entrepreneurs in a state of confusion and frustration. "We were informed about the scheme in recent seminars, but what's the point if applications haven't been accepted for months?" said Gagandeep Singh, an aspiring applicant. "The govt must act and open the scheme to all categories." Without a clear timeline from the central authorities, the indefinite delay threatens to derail the entrepreneurial ambitions of hundreds across Ludhiana, undermining the very goal of the employment generation programme.
Hans India
a day ago
- Business
- Hans India
Industrialists urged to mentor ‘Golden Families'
Vijayawada: District collector Dr G Lakshmisha on Tuesday called upon aspiring industrialists to act as mentors and support 'golden families' as part of the P4 initiative, aimed at poverty eradication and achieving the vision of Swarnandhra. Presiding over the District Industrial and Export Promotion Committee (DIEPC) meeting at the Collectorate's Pingali Venkaiah conference hall on Tuesday, Collector Lakshmisha discussed industrial incentives and approvals under various industrial policies. Industries Department officials informed the Collector that out of 1,148 applications for industrial approvals received through the single-desk portal between May 26 and July 28, a remarkable 1,113 have already been approved. The collector instructed officials to expedite the remaining applications and resolve them before their respective deadlines. The DIEPC also approved fresh proposals for incentives totalling Rs 3 crore for 39 claims under the Industrial Development Policies (2015-20, 2020-23, and 2023-27) for the MSME sector. The Collector emphasised the need to process claims promptly without any pending issues. Dr Lakshmisha directed officials to accelerate the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in the district to achieve its targets. He instructed the Lead Bank District Manager to take swift action in sanctioning loans to beneficiaries who have completed training under the Prime Minister's Vishwakarma Yojana. The collector also urged close monitoring to ensure that MSME units receiving loans through PMEGP are launched quickly and to give special attention to PM Vishwakarma applications. He announced that a district-level workshop would be organised to raise awareness about the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme, designed to boost micro, small, and medium enterprises. District Industries Officer G Sambaiah, LDM K Priyanka, Pollution Control Board EE P Srinivas Rao, District Fire Officer AV Shankar Rao, District Groundwater Officer N Nagamalleswara Rao, and committee members D Nirmala, M Kishore, and Dr M Sudarshan also participated.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Women's pie in workforce at 18.4%
New Delhi: The participation of women in the country's formal workforce is constantly increasing and as per the latest data, the estimated Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for female of age 15 years and above has increased from 23.3 per cent in 2019-20 to 41.7 per cent in 2023-24 — a robust growth of 18.4 per cent -- the Parliament was informed on Monday. Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Payroll Data indicates the level of employment in the formal sector. During 2024–25 alone, 26.9 lakh net female subscribers were added to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), underlining a shift towards formal employment, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. The government is implementing various schemes to boost the female LFPR, like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Stand-UP India Scheme, Startup India, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), Mission Shakti, Namo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi, among others.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Robust industrial base key to economic development: Collector
Anantapur: Establishing a robust industrial base across the district is essential for achieving sustainable economic development, said Anantapur in-charge District Collector Shiv Narayan Sharma. He made these remarks during the 60th District Industries and Export Promotion Committee (DIEPC) meeting held on Friday at the mini conference hall of the District Collectorate. Addressing the officials, the Collector emphasised the need to strengthen the industrial sector and directed authorities to take proactive measures. He stressed the importance of encouraging enthusiastic entrepreneurs by ensuring timely approvals through the Single Desk Portal. He further instructed officials to create awareness among industrialists about various schemes implemented by both the Central and State governments. Collector Sharma revealed that since the previous meeting, a total of 224 aspiring entrepreneurs have applied through the Single Window system, out of which 25 applications were approved. He instructed officials to promptly review and approve the remaining 16 pending applications as well. He urged concerned departments to ensure all permissions through the portal are granted within the stipulated time frame. The committee also approved a subsidy of Rs 230.54 lakh under the 2020–23 and 2023–27 industrial policies for 13 units. During the meeting, success stories of entrepreneurs who benefited from the PMEGP (Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme) and have successfully established their ventures were compiled and presented to the Collector by the District Industries Department. Expressing satisfaction, the Collector appreciated these achievements. He also directed the APIIC Zonal Manager to identify suitable land for setting up an MSME Park in the district. Furthermore, he instructed officials to expedite efforts to establish the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, which is expected to provide technology transfer and skill training to youth, thereby generating employment opportunities. The meeting was attended by District Industries Officer Srinivas Yadav, AD Rajasekhar Reddy, Commercial Officer Krishna Reddy, RTO Veerraju, APIIC Manager Mallikarjun, DSDO Pratap Reddy and other key officials.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Promote industrial growth extensively
Nellore: District Collector O Anand has directed the officials to ensure establishment of more industries to generate employment to the unemployed youth in the district. Addressing the District Industries and Export Promotion Committee (DIEPC) meeting, the Collector has disclosed that as many as 1,616 applications against total 1,700 received under Single Desk Portal (SDP) were solved, while 64 applications were rejected, another 64 are kept pending. The Collector said that most of the applications which were kept pending were related to Pollution Control Board (PCB) and Legal Metrology (LM) departments. He ordered that officials should show special attention over pending applications and solve them by discussing the issues with PBC and LM departments. He said that officials should organise awareness programmes about the World Bank supporting programme called 'Ramp' to promote more indistries in the district. The Collector said that as many as 76 units were physically grounded under Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in the district. On the occasion, the Ceollector reviewed the progress related to the proposed industrial units of Jakson Infra, Utkarsha Alluminimum, Dhathu Nigam Limited and Cribco Green Energy Limited. Joint Collector Kollabathula Karthik, District Industries GM Maruthi Prasad, APIIC JD Sivakumar, Atmakur RDO Pavani and others were present.
