Question : SELF EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES

(a) the details of on-going self employment programmes implemented by the Government;

(b) whether the Government proposes to relax the criteria and collateral security for availing loans under the said programmes and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government proposes to introduce new women entrepreneur schemes and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government proposes to include more rural cottage industries under the said programmes; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)

(a)to (e) : There are no Self-Employment programmes functioning under the Department of Commerce. However, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) since 1997. The Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) component of SJSRY focused on providing assistance by way of subsidy to urban poor women for setting up gainful group enterprises with Self Help Group (SHG)-bank loan. This scheme has now been restructured into National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) since September,2013. The Employment through Skill Training & Placement (EST&P) component of NULM aims at providing skill training to urban poor so that they can set up self-employment ventures or secure salaried employment and the Self Employment Programme (SEP) component focuses on providing bank loan on reduced rate of interest to individuals/groups of urban poor for setting up gainful self- employment ventures/micro-enterprises. Further, as per the guidelines of NULM, 30% reservation has been made for women beneficiaries under Employment through Skills Training and Placement (EST&P), Self-Employment programme(SEP) components of NULM.