Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar today distributed 1200 Bee boxes to 120 beekeepers of Pulwama and Ramban districts. The distribution function was held at the CSIR field station Bonera, District Pulwama J&K. This was Shri Manoj Kumar's second stay in Jammu and Kashmir since becoming the Chairman of KVIC
KVIC is taking significant steps towards realizing the dream of a self-reliant India, as envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Under various programs, KVIC is providing employment opportunities to artisans in remote areas at very low costs.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kumar stated that beekeeping can be an effective way for farmers, including landless farmers to boost their income. By keeping beehives in crop fields during the flowering period, pollination efficiency is increased, leading to improved yield. In addition to honey, beekeeping can also produce other valuable substances such as beeswax, bee propolis, and bee venom. To further encourage the beneficiaries, Chairman KVIC motivated them to run their beekeeping activities successfully and take advantage of the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) scheme to increase their business.
The PMEGP scheme plays a vital role in providing employment opportunities to unemployed youth in rural and urban areas. Under this scheme, entrepreneurs can set up a unit up to Rs 50 lakh in the manufacturing sector and up to Rs 20 lakh in the service sector. The government provides 15% to 25% of the entire project cost as a grant to beneficiaries in urban areas and 25% to 35% in rural areas. Free entrepreneurship development training is also provided to beneficiaries after loan approval to make them successful entrepreneurs.
In addition to the distribution of bee boxes, Chairman KVIC also inaugurated a renovated Khadi Bhandar at Residency Road Srinagar. Speaking on the occasion, he mentioned that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has made Khadi available not only to the common man in India but also globally. Jammu and Kashmir has also become a central place of the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, he added.
The distribution of bee boxes and the renovation of the Khadi Bhandar are a few examples of KVIC's efforts to empower rural artisans and make India self-reliant.