Rs 520-cr livelihood package for J&K, Ladakh rural women

BOX

Central scheme to cover

Two-thirds of families in rural areas

10.58 lakh women to benefit in 2 UTs

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 14

The government today approved a special package of Rs 520 crore to extend Deen Dayal Antyodaya Rashtriya Ajeevika Mission, a scheme to provide livelihood opportunities to women in rural areas, to the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar. The mission aims to support rural women through self-help groups.

“In both UTs, two-thirds of the families in rural areas will be covered under the scheme. A sum of Rs 520 crore has been allocated for the scheme, which will run for five years,” Javadekar said.

“The Modi government envisages taking the scheme to 10 crore women. In J&K and Ladakh, where not many women were getting registered, now 10.58 lakh women will be covered under the scheme,” he said.

There are 7 crore women members in 63 lakh self-help groups in the country, and they have taken loan to the tune of Rs 3 lakh crore under the scheme, the minister said.