Self-Employment to individual artisans

The Handicrafts sector is the major industrial activity and is presently providing jobs to nearly about 4.50 lac persons directly or indirectly. Majority of these craftsmen, artisan and weavers belong to socio economically backward classes and are below the poverty line they are unable to carry on their activities for want of adequate capital base and are also subject guile of the middlemen who takes every opportunity to exploit them. In order to arrest this trend viz a viz check the traditional industry from extinction and to boost economic conditions of these groups ultimately resulting in employment generation. The J&K Government has formulated a special credit plan christened for self-employment of individual artisans to provide financial assistance for setting of their own self-employment generating units under craft specific schemes at affordable terms to free them from the clutches of middlemen and enable them to produce and market their goods giving them better living conditions and improving their general health. Under this scheme presently upto Rs.2.00 lacs financial assistance in the form of financial assistance from the banks is provided to the artisans for which the department bears 7% interest subsidy for 5 years.

Beneficiary:

All artisans above the age of 18 years irrespective of gender

Benefits:

To emancipate the exploited artisans /craftsmen from the clutches of the middlemen and enable them to establish their own units and produce and market their goods at their free will.