Scheme to help self-employed women get max value for products launched

Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, Sept 18

To make women self-reliant and improve their financial status in society, the administration, led by Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amrit Kaur Gill, has kicked off a scheme to help self-employed women get maximum value for their products from consumers by procuring e-carts at subsidised rates.

The scheme was launched as a part of the National Horticulture Mission and Employment Mission with focus on direct disposal of horticulture-related products from generating yard to consumers through mobile vending e-carts.

The DC said the officials concerned had been advised to generate more lucrative opportunities for self-employed rural women or self-help groups. Efforts were being made to identify beneficiaries for the scheme, provide them adequate training and arrange loans on different rates of interest for purchasing infrastructure and e-carts.

Referring to information received from Deputy Director, Horticulture Department, Hardeep Singh, the Deputy Commissioner said: “Though there are also other benefits of the scheme, the entrepreneur will get Rs 1 lakh in the beginning as subsidy on one e-cart, operation and maintenance of which is also cheap,” said Gill, claiming that a 2.5 quintal capacity cart, charged once can run for 80 km on an average. Keys of the first such e-cart were handed over to Ranbir Kaur, a beekeeper, of Narike Khurad village.