Patna, March 14 The story of Siraj Ansari, hailing from Bihar’s Sheikhpura district, is a testimony to how sincere endeavour, coupled with government assistance, can turn into a life-changing experience for novice entrepreneurs.
Siraj, despite being a graduate and having worked for a private firm in Delhi, was left jobless during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was forced to do menial work for a livelihood, but today his fledgling enterprise, funded by government assistance, has become talk of the town, inspiring many fellow villagers to follow his footsteps.
Many youngsters, wandering in search of employment, are in awe of him and want to replicate his feat.
Siraj built his enterprise with assistance under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and is employing many others in the village.
Notably, the PMEGP is a central government scheme that assists prospective beneficiaries in establishing new microenterprises, primarily with small project costs, facilitated by small loans.
After completing his studies, Siraj Ansari moved to Delhi, where he worked for a company for nearly four years. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was compelled to return to his native village.
When he failed to find employment locally, he started a small tent-house business. Due to meagre earnings, he found it difficult to support his family.
During this period, he learned about the PMEGP scheme from a friend, which offers loans accompanied by subsidies.
He contacted the concerned department to avail the benefits and secured a loan of approximately ₹10 lakhs in his wife, Yasmin Parveen's, name.
With this financial assistance, he established a large tent house warehouse near the New Bus Stand in Sheikhpura city. Today, his business is flourishing; not only is it earning a better livelihood for his family, but it is also providing employment to eight other individuals.
Speaking to IANS, he expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and heaped praise on the scheme for helping youth find their footing in the entrepreneurial realm.
He also appealed to young people to stop wandering in search of jobs and instead take advantage of government schemes to start their own ventures and become self-reliant.
--IANS
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