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The UMEED scheme is helping women in Jammu become self-reliant, with over 2,000 women starting small businesses, including restaurants, dairy units, beauty parlours, boutiques and shops, after receiving training and financial support under the scheme.
According to officials associated with the programme, 262 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) comprising 2,263 women have taken up various livelihood activities under the scheme. Speaking to ANI, Cluster Coordinator Suchana Sharma said there were 262 SHGs with 2,263 women, all of whom had started some form of small-scale livelihood activity. "Previously--specifically between 2017 and 2018--there was nothing here. Then, in December 2018, the 'UMEED' initiative started. Following that, the women launched various ventures," Sharma said. She said women had established a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, dairy units, beauty parlours, boutiques and shops. However, she noted that marketing remained a challenge due to the hilly terrain. "There is a bit of an issue regarding the marketplace here. Since this is a hilly region, sales are quite low. We would like it if sales could pick up from here," she said. A beneficiary of the scheme told ANI that she had little knowledge about UMEED before becoming associated with it but now understood the opportunities and support it offered to women. "Before connecting with 'UMEED', we didn't really know what the scheme was all about. Now that we are associated with it, we understand the scheme and the many benefits it offers to women," she said. The beneficiary said many women had opened their own shops and were successfully running their businesses under the scheme. "Now, many have opened their own shops and are successfully running their ventures; they are reaping the benefits here. Earlier, we had to depend on others, but now we don't; we can spend our own money as we please," she added. (ANI)
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