The Hindu Business Line : Initiative to develop synergy between job programmes, export activities

The focus is on fostering actionable projects in selected export clusters and implementing such projects through due consultation and co-ordination among stakeholders.

New Delhi , July 30

In a bid to confer operational benefits to the aam aadmi, the UPA government has decided to dovetail the various employment generation programmes and export promotion activities into viable special projects to be managed by self-help groups (SHGs).

Disclosing this to Business Line here, the Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said the objective behind this new initiative was to develop synergy between export promotion activities of the Department of Commerce and the poverty alleviation schemes currently being undertaken by the Ministries of Rural Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

He said that out of the 2006-7 Budget allocation of Rs 1,080 crore for the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY of the Ministry of Rural Development), 15 per cent or Rs 160 crore would be set aside for special projects for skill-building, infrastructure creation and capacity-building.

Similarly, from the Rs 250-crore allocated during 2006-07 for a new urban poverty alleviation programme, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY), special projects with focus on creating micro-enterprises in urban areas would be set up. The Department of Small Scale Industries and Agro Industries has set aside Rs 350 crore for Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (REGP).

He said that the special projects being evolved with a percentage of the funds allocated to these schemes would be jointly executed by the various export promotion councils and these departments in order to ensure the development of the requisite skill creation, value addition and marketing of the produce made by the micro-entrepreneurs.

Mr Ramesh said that leather, handlooms, handicrafts, shellac/ minor forest produce, gems and jewellery and agri exports have been identified for the special projects to be developed by the export promotion councils charged with each product. He said that the Council for Leather Exports would prepare three projects on leather to be implemented in Vellore, Agra and Kolkata.

In shellac/minor forest produce, four projects have been identified in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

He said the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) would develop four clusters pertaining to mango, gherkin, pomegranate and grape.

Involve women, tribals

He said that in all these special projects, the aim is to involve women and tribals to encourage SHGs in their line of activities and support them at value addition and marketing which remains the weakest link from effectively succeeding in their efforts.

In all, the focus is on fostering actionable projects in selected export clusters and implementing such projects through due consultation and co-ordination among stakeholders.

The EPCs would coordinate with export industry bodies and individual exporters with a view to forming linkages between export market and the produce of groups/clusters financed by the Ministry of Rural Development or the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

He said the beneficiary groups/clusters would be facilitated through capacity building for employment in quality, product design, packaging and marketing.

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