Srinagar, Aug 06 (KNO): The Centre on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that 825 beneficiaries in the Union Territory of Ladakh were covered under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) during the last five financial years, with the scheme generating an estimated 7,425 employment opportunities across Leh and Kargil districts.
Replying to a question raised by Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26, a total of 1,478 applications were received under PMEGP in Ladakh, of which 916 projects were sanctioned and 773 loans were disbursed by banks.
The minister informed the House that Leh district received 416 applications, with 285 projects sanctioned, 256 loans disbursed, 263 beneficiaries covered, and ₹1,492.38 lakh released as margin money subsidy, generating an estimated 2,367 jobs.
For Kargil district, 1,062 applications were received, 631 projects sanctioned, 517 loans disbursed, 562 beneficiaries covered, and ₹2,137.66 lakh released as margin money subsidy, resulting in an estimated 5,058 employment opportunities, the reply stated.
Responding to another part of the question, Karandlaje said the Ministry has conducted a third-party evaluation of PMEGP across all States and Union Territories, including Ladakh. The study found that a majority of PMEGP units reported higher annual incomes and positive profitability, while implementation of the scheme is reviewed periodically through meetings with KVIC, KVIBs, District Industries Centres and financial institutions.
The minister further said the Centre has taken several steps to improve awareness and credit linkage under PMEGP, including awareness campaigns, PMEGP Helpdesks, availability of model project reports, collateral-free loans up to ₹20 lakh as per RBI guidelines, integration with the Jan Samarth Portal, and regular bankers' review meetings to facilitate timely loan sanction and subsidy disbursement—(KNO)