<p style="font-weight: 400;">The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has created employment for over 8,200 people for Leh and Kargil local youth in three and a half years, the government said today.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“KVIC has set up nearly 1,000 different small and medium manufacturing units under its flagship Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) scheme in Kargil and Leh creating over 8200 employments for local youths in just three-and-half years and released margin money to the tune of Rs 32.35 crore since 2017-18 to support these units,” an official press release issued by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said.</p>
<img class="size-medium wp-image-19808 alignleft" src="https://indianarrative.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Leh-Kargil-2-300×251.jpg" alt="People of Leh-Kargil" />"Khadi has created jobs from cement blocks manufacturing to the manufacturing of iron and steel items, automobile repair workshops, tailoring units, wooden furniture manufacturing units, wood carving units, cyber cafe, beauty parlors and manufacturing of gold jewelry, etc," the release said.
<p style="font-weight: 400;">From 2017-18 to 2020-21 (up to September 30), KVIC established 802 projects in Kargil and 191 projects in Leh region creating 6,781 jobs in Kargil and 1,421 jobs in Leh, respectively. While KVIC disbursed Rs 26.67 crore as margin money for these projects in Kargil, it disbursed Rs 5.68 crore in the Leh region during this period.</p>
“Kargil and Leh have shown immense potential for sustaining various manufacturing activities. Leh and Kargil remain disconnected from the rest parts of the country for almost six months. However, these production units will ensure local availability of goods in these regions throughout the year,” KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said.
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Mohammad Bakir, a resident of village Minji in Kargil who started a cement block bricks production unit with an initial loan of Rs 10 lakh, is now registering an annual turnover of Rs 52 lakh. He has employed eight persons in his manufacturing unit. Similarly, Ismail Nasiri, engaged with the production of iron and steel items, began his unit in Village Poyen in Kargil with Rs 25 lakh, has employed 10 persons, and is registering the turnover of Rs 76 lakh.</p>
Hamida Banoo, a woman entrepreneur in Baroo in Kargil, took up cutting tailoring activity and went on to employ three other women with her unit. Hamida’s annual turnover has reached Rs 12 lakh..