(a): whether the Government has emphasized the creation of more employment opportunities for women in rural and tribal areas by implementing various rural development schemes through the small scale industries;
(b): if so, the details in this regard; and
(c): the incentives provided and targets fixed and achieved in regard to new industrial units set up for creating job opportunities for women in rural and tribal areas during the last three years, State-wise?
MINISTER OF SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIES & AGRO AND RURAL INDUSTRIES (SHRI MAHABIR PRASAD)
(a)to(c): Yes, Sir. The Central Government is implementing various Schemes/Programmes to enable individual entrepreneurs including women in rural and tribal areas to set up micro, small and tiny units and thus create employment opportunities. A Scheme entitled `Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD)` was launched by the Ministry of Small Scale Industries in 2004 for the economic empowerment of women through development of their entrepreneurial skills in non- farm activities. The main components of this Scheme are as under:
(i) Grants up to 30% of the total project cost, as appraised by lending institutions which would finance the remaining 70% as loan assistance.
(ii) Grants up to Rs. 1.00 lakh to training organisations viz., Entrepreneurship Development Institutes, National Institute of small Industry extension training and Non-governmental Organisation conducting training programmes for empowerment of women beneficiaries identified under the Scheme.
(iii) Need based Grants upto Rs. 5.00 lakh to training institutes per project for field surveys, research studies, evaluation studies, designing of training modules, etc. Under the Scheme, central grant of Rs. 69.31 lakh has been released to 1785 women beneficiaries including women from rural and tribal areas. As small scale units are set up by individual entrepreneurs on their own consideration of advantages, no target for setting up SSI units is fixed.