Srinagar, Aug 28: In a significant initiative to extend entrepreneurship development and MSME schemes to remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the Branch MSME Development and Facilitation Office (DFO), Srinagar, Ministry of MSME, organised entrepreneurship awareness and capacity-building programmes at Tangdar and Keran in Kupwara district.
The programmes, organised with the support and coordination of the District Administration, Kupwara, marked the first such capacity-building and entrepreneurship awareness initiatives by the Ministry of MSME in the two remote border areas.
The initiative aimed to take information about government schemes and programmes directly to residents of areas where access to formal entrepreneurship support and institutional guidance remains limited.
The programmes focused on various schemes and initiatives of the Ministry of MSME and other government departments aimed at promoting self-employment, entrepreneurship, skill development and enterprise creation. Particular emphasis was laid on the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), PM Vishwakarma and other entrepreneurship- and livelihood-oriented initiatives of the Union and J&K governments.
Participants were briefed on eligibility criteria, application procedures, financial assistance, credit-linked support, skill development opportunities and other benefits available under various schemes. Officials also interacted with participants and addressed their queries on starting and expanding small enterprises.
The programmes received an encouraging response at both locations. In Keran, a large number of students participated and showed keen interest in entrepreneurship, self-employment and enterprise development opportunities.
At Tangdar, the programme witnessed particularly encouraging participation from women, who expressed interest in entrepreneurial activities and government support for starting small businesses and income-generating ventures. The interaction highlighted the potential for promoting women-led enterprises and strengthening household livelihoods through entrepreneurship in remote areas.
A.K. Tamaria, Joint Director and Head of Office, MSME DFO Jammu, also participated in the programmes and interacted with the participants. He highlighted the importance of developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem that reaches every section of society, irrespective of geographical location, and urged participants to avail themselves of schemes implemented by the Centre and J&K governments.
Assistant Director, Branch MSME DFO Srinagar, Saheel Alaqband, emphasised the importance of taking government schemes to the last mile.
“The objective of such programmes is not merely to conduct awareness activities, but to ensure that information about government schemes reaches those who need it the most. People living in remote and border areas often have limited opportunities and access to institutional guidance. It may be challenging to organise programmes in such locations, but that is precisely why such initiatives are important. If opportunities cannot reach these communities through conventional means, we must take the opportunities to their doorstep,” he said.
Officials from various departments and institutions, including Agriculture, Lead Bank and other concerned government agencies, also participated in the programmes. Their participation provided beneficiaries an opportunity to understand the convergence of various schemes and the support available from different institutions for establishing and sustaining enterprises.
The initiative reflects the Ministry of MSME’s focus on inclusive enterprise development and last-mile delivery of government schemes in remote and underserved areas.
