Commerce ministry sets up fund for rural employment
The Commerce ministry has set up a Rs 3,750 crore rural area assistance fund for providing employment assistance to 250 backward and poor districts of the country.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: The Commerce ministry has set up a Rs 3,750 crore rural area assistance fund for providing employment assistance to 250 backward and poor districts of the country.
Under the new scheme, each district will get an assistance of 12 to 13 crore annually from the current fiscal year, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Sri Jairam Ramesh said on Monday while inaugurating a national convention on women in trade.
The selected districts, mostly under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, will get the assistance in addition to the amount provided under NREGS, he said.
Ramesh said his ministry will put adequate emphasis on generating employment while ensuring growth of the export sector as "unemployment is the biggest hurdle" India is facing.
"We are also in touch with Urban development and Rural development ministry on how to integrate various employment generating schemes so as to maximise the outcome," he said.
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Apart from providing assistance to 23 export promotion councils, the Commerce Ministry has decided to extend financial support to export units which generate employment opportunities, he said.Ramesh said the nearly 107 lakh people were working directly or indirectly in the export sector, which is expected to reach 307 lakh in another five years,
He said, as part of its effort to support the rural economy, India Brand Equity Fund has been asked to initiate steps in marketing carpet industry of Uttar Pradesh, tribal arts of Orissa, embroidery and knitted goods of Andhra Pradesh and handicraft sector in foreign markets.
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