Around 70 participants explore self-employment, credit schemes as officials pitch homestays and an enterprise cluster for Zanskar.
ZANSKAR: The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, has organised an entrepreneurship awareness programme in Karsha, a remote village in Ladakh’s Zanskar region, to promote self-employment and encourage unemployed youth, women and rural residents to explore business opportunities.
The one-day programme, held on Thursday by the MSME Development Nucleus Cell (MSME-DNC), Leh, focused on government support schemes, access to institutional credit and the scope for establishing small enterprises in the region. According to the organisers, it was the first such programme conducted by the Ministry of MSME in the remote and industrially underdeveloped area.
Addressing the participants, Amit Kumar Tamaria, Joint Director and Head of Office, MSME-DNC Leh, explained various schemes and initiatives of the ministry and outlined the support available to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing enterprises.
He encouraged participants to make use of the available schemes and consider entrepreneurship as a means of livelihood. Highlighting Zanskar’s tourism potential, Tamaria also discussed the scope for setting up homestays to cater to visitors travelling to the region.
He further urged participants to come forward with viable proposals for establishing a cluster under the Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), which could support enterprise development in the area.
Vinu Jee Koul, Assistant Director, MSME-DNC Leh, delivered the welcome address and highlighted the role of the MSME sector in generating employment, encouraging self-employment and promoting economic growth in Ladakh, particularly in Zanskar.
Muddasir Rahowf Wani, Functional Manager in the Department of Industries and Commerce, Ladakh, briefed participants on the department’s role and outlined the provisions of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and the PM Vishwakarma scheme.
He encouraged residents to develop viable project proposals and establish their own enterprises to create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Muneer Rasool Wani, District Programme Manager, Ladakh Rural Livelihoods Mission (LRLM), Kargil, explained the mission’s role in forming self-help groups and outlined its achievements in group formation. He also briefed participants on subsidised loan facilities available to self-help groups under the mission.
Tsering Morup, Lead District Manager for Kargil and Zanskar, provided an overview of banking and financial inclusion schemes available through banks and urged participants to take advantage of government-sponsored credit programmes.
Adding a practical perspective to the discussions, Lobzang Rinchan, an entrepreneur from Karsha, shared his experience of establishing a self-employment venture in the region, highlighting the possibilities of pursuing entrepreneurship in a remote area.
Around 70 participants attended the programme. An interactive question-and-answer session followed, during which participants raised queries about various MSME schemes and received responses from the resource persons.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the Lead District Manager for Kargil and Zanskar.
