Atmanirbhar Bharat: DIC, a new hope for start-ups, youths

Aurangabad, Dec 16:

Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, facilities are being provided to the budding entrepreneurs and the unemployed through the District Industries Centre (DIC). In addition to this, various government schemes are getting good response.

Especially during the corona period, DIC has become a platform for a large number of unemployed youth and start-ups to help start business. Corona had put the industry in trouble. As a result, the industry as well as the workers were in crisis. Against this backdrop, the central government implemented the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan scheme. Through this, provision has been made to make available on an urgent basis 20 per cent of the loan amount to the businessmen and entrepreneurs who have paid regular loan installments. Unemployed youths can start manufacturing units at an investment of Rs 10 lakh or service or trading units at an investment of Rs 5 lakh. The beneficiaries must put in 5 per cent of the total project cost and the state will provide 25 per cent of the cost, up to Rs 1.25 lakh. At present, the Chief Minister''s Employment Generation Programme is also helping the unemployed. About 1,025 loan proposals have been filed under the scheme since September 2019. Of these, 704 cases are from the last financial year i.e. September 2019 to March 2020. Out of 1,025 proposals, 110 cases have been sanctioned and 47 cases have been settled between April and October 2020 this year. Meanwhile, the number of proposals for loans by the unemployed at the DIC has risen sharply during the pandemic period. However, due to obstacles in the process of approving the proposals from the banks, the unemployed are expecting the government to formulate a policy in this regard.

Target under central scheme met

Under the Prime Minister''s Employment Generation Programme, a target of Rs 1.50 crore has been given to the DIC in the current financial year, which has been achieved till date. So far, Rs 1.80 crore has been sanctioned, out of which Rs 1 crore has been disbursed to the unemployed and entrepreneurs.