Job opportunities under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) fell over 9.5% year-on-year to 3.2 lakh in FY16 from more than 3.5 lakh in FY15, according to industry body Assocham.
“Besides, the number of projects set up under the PMEGP also reduced from over 48,100 in FY15 to about 44,300,” according to a report by Assocham based on an analysis of government data.
Uttar Pradesh topped with over 43,000 jobs generated under the PMEGP in FY16, but the number of jobs reduced from more than 48,600 that was generated in FY15 thereby registering a year-on-year decline of more than 11%.
“The PMEGP is an effective scheme aimed at reducing unemployment and generating sustainable employment opportunities in rural and urban India, but there is a need for banks and other institutions to put in collaborative effort to meet the targets of this programme,” said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of Assocham.
Credit proposals
While the number of credit proposals approved under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) increased significantly from just over four lakh to over 5.1 lakh between 2014-15 and 2015-16, the approved amount under this scheme fell 6% from ₹21,200 crore in FY15 to more than ₹19,900 crore in FY16.
The number of MSMEs which benefited from the Marketing Assistance and Technology Upgradation programme also fell from 359 in FY15 to 303 in FY16, according to the analysis. It added that the number of trainees under the Entrepreneur Development Programmes Scheme fell significantly from more than 1.4 lakh in FY15 to just over 66,000 in FY16.
The number of new ideas approved as part of Entrepreneurial Development of SMEs through Incubators rose marginally from 143 in FY15 to 145 in FY16, according to ASSOCHAM.
