Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is facing an arduous task of achieving its target of setting up nearly 1,300 new units in Uttarakhand by the end of 2009-10.
Till December last, nearly 850 projects have already been cleared. And rest of the 450 projects are in different stages of clearances.
In the absence of any latest data, the officials are tightlipped whether the target would be achieved. But they admitted that there was immense pressure to achieve the target. KVIC officials are blaming banks for the laxity. “The problem is not from our side. Generally banks take long time in giving loans,” said KVIC state director Karnail Singh.
Singh said these 1,300 units would give employment to nearly 15,000 people. An investment of Rs 55 crore was proposed in these units.
Last year, KVIC set up nearly 450 units in the state. But this year, it enhanced the target to 1,300. So far, 30,000 such units have been set up in the state.
For the promotion of entrepreneurship skills, the KVIC has also set up two training centres at Dehra Dun and Haldwani and one entrepreneurship development institute at Dehra Dun. To promote khadi, the KVIC has roped in 40 NGOs in the state.
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In addition to this, a district-level task force under the chairmanship of the respective district magistrates has also been set up for the promotion of small scale industries.
For setting up new units, the Centre is providing loans up to Rs 25 lakh under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) through various banks.
To promote the local industries, the KVIC has also decided to start a new exhibition here from tomorrow, which would be inaugurated by Assembly speaker Harbans Kapoor. The 15-day exhibition would attract 125 units from various states including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Punjab among others.