Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 23
The state’s department of Women Resource Development has initiated several Interest-Free Loan Programme to encourage small and big entrepreneurial activities amongst women in the state for self-employment and to enable employment generation through their ventures.
“It is a common vision of the programmes to help in mitigating the dependency of the general unemployed young women and girls on government employment, as well as in mitigating dependency on government grants and subsidies,” according to the annual administrative report 2015 -16 of women resource development tabled in the recently concluded assembly session of NLA here.
Under Promotion of Women in Innovative Enterprises programme, during 2012-13, this revolving fund programme was initiated to provide financial support to women entrepreneurs for development or expansion of innovative enterprises.
During the first phase, interest- free loan of Rs. 5 lakh per beneficiary was provided to 38 women entrepreneurs in innovative enterprises.
“With funds recovered from repayment of earlier loans amounting to Rs. 100.00 lakhs, a total of 54 new beneficiaries were selected during 2015-16 in two categories (i) upto Rs. 5 lakh and (ii) up to Rs. 2.50 lakh.
Loans amounting to Rs. 5 lakhs for the first category have already been granted to 20 women entrepreneurs, while loans to the second batch comprising both Ist and 2nd categories will be granted on subsequent phases according to recovery of loans,” the report stated.
Under Women Entrepreneurial Development Initiative, the Report stated that an amount of Rs.40 lakh is under circulation amongst women entrepreneurs to start smaller scale enterprises. A total of 20 beneficiaries from all over the state are being covered under this initiative.
Due to the department’s desire to cove more beneficiaries, the quantum of assistance, though undesirable, will be reduced to Rs. 1 lakh per beneficiary in the subsequent phases.
The Report also stated that the Micro-credit Enterprise Development Scheme targets the poorest-of-the poor women and young girls who are willing to take up small enterprises, but do not have the capital to even begin.
The report stated that an amount ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000 is provided to the beneficiates as interest- free loan, which they are to repay in monthly installments through the PNGOs.
