JKRLM Approves Rs 36 Crore SVEP Plans to Expand Rural Entrepreneurship Across Jammu Kashmir  | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) has approved six Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) worth Rs 36 crore under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) to expand rural non-farm livelihood opportunities across the Union Territory, officials said on Saturday.

The approval was granted at a meeting of the UT-Level Steering Committee (Non-Farm Livelihoods) chaired by Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, in Srinagar. The DPRs cover six new SVEP blocks—Sogam-Wavoora, Pulwama-Litter, Chadoora-Surasyar, Khour-Paragwal, Pouni-Reasi and Bhadarwah-Bhalla—and are expected to facilitate the establishment of over 12,000 enterprises over the next four years.

Officials said SVEP, implemented in Jammu and Kashmir since 2015–16 with technical support from National Resource Organisation (NRO) partners including the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), initially began in pilot blocks in Lar (Ganderbal) and Basohli (Kathua), where around 2,500 entrepreneurs were established during the first phase. With the latest approvals, coverage will expand from eight to 14 districts.

The meeting was attended by Mission Director JKRLM Shubhra Sharma, Chief Operating Officer HIMAYAT Rajneesh Gupta, and representatives from several departments including Forest, Ecology and Environment, Tribal Affairs, Social Welfare, Handicrafts and Handloom, Industries and Commerce, MSME, KVIC, NABARD and RSETIs.

According to officials, the approved DPRs focus on enterprises based on local resources and market demand, including walnut oil and butter extraction, sheep wool processing, trout fish processing, eco-tourism homestays, vermi-compost production, saffron value addition, herbal tea processing, amla-based products and honey processing.

Speaking at the meeting, Aijaz Asad said enterprise selection must be guided by local demand patterns and rural consumption trends to ensure economic viability. He stressed the need for market linkages, value addition, and sustainable livelihood generation for rural youth and women.

He also called for strengthening training, capacity building and monitoring mechanisms, and directed stakeholders to ensure convergence among departments for timely implementation of the projects.

Officials informed the meeting that non-farm livelihood initiatives under NRLM and SVEP have so far supported 26,551 enterprises in Jammu and Kashmir, including 26,217 individual and 355 group enterprises.

SVEP is a sub-scheme under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development, aimed at promoting rural entrepreneurship among Self-Help Group members and their families.