UP govt encourages establishment of small and cottage industries in state

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 30 (ANI): In a written response to a question on the third day of the Winter session in the State Assembly, Rakesh Sachan, the Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, mentioned that the UP government led by Yogi Adityanath is encouraging the establishment of small and cottage industries in the state through its policies and programs, which include several incentives for entrepreneurs.

In the provided information, he added that under the ‘Prime Minister Employment Generation Program,’ there is a provision of funding up to 15 to 35 per cent of the cost of projects worth up to Rs 50 lakh whereas in the ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojana,’ there is a provision for up to 25 per cent funding for projects of up to Rs 25 lakh.

Similarly, under the Financial Support Scheme of the ‘One District One Product’ project, there is a provision to provide a grant of 10 to 25 per cent of the project cost, with a maximum limit of up to Rs 20 lakh. Also, under the ‘Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana’ and ‘One District-One Product’ schemes, artisans associated with traditional products are provided training and modern toolkits through skill development and tool-kit distribution.

Sachan further informed that under the ‘Prime Minister Employment Generation Program,’ there is a provision of reservation for 20.70 per cent of Scheduled Castes and 0.57 per cent of Scheduled Tribes candidates.

He further mentioned that under Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojana, general category beneficiaries are required to contribute 10 per cent of the project cost, while Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities are needed to contribute 5 per cent of the project cost.

The ‘One District One Product Financial Support Scheme aims to promote various categories of local products, and the ‘Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana’ is implemented to uplift traditional artisans from different fields.

Responding to a question related to Scheduled Caste welfare, State Minister (Independent Charge) for the department, Narendra Kashyap, stated that in the financial year 2022-2023, under the post-matric scholarship and fee reimbursement scheme, the department received a total of 2,344,689 applications from other backward class students of which scholarships were provided to 1,596,455.

He mentioned that against the budget provision of Rs 1450 crore for the financial year 2022-23, a budget provision of Rs 1850 crore has been made in the current financial year 2023-24.

In a written response to a question, Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge), Asim Arun, stated that under the Fee Reimbursement Scheme, eligible students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe, and General categories studying in recognized and affiliated educational institutions within the state and in government and aided educational institutions outside the state are being provided fee reimbursement as per the rules and regulations.

In the financial year 2022-23, fee reimbursement was provided to 36,607 Scheduled Caste students. Online applications for the financial year 2023-24 are being accepted from students currently enrolled, and the disbursement of funds to eligible and accurate data-submitted students will be done in March 2024.