PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
The chief minister’s self-employment promotion policies are yielding tangible results on the ground in a remote village under Dunda development block called Singot, said the members of Shri Nagaraja Matsya Jeevi Utpadan Sahakari Samiti, which was formed by villagers in collaboration with the Cooperative department. They said that it has not only become a symbol of self-reliance but is also setting a powerful example of local employment generation.
Sharing details, they said that under the CM’s self-employment scheme, a loan of Rs 44 lakh had been approved to the committee from the Fisheries department with a 50 per cent subsidy. The committee currently has 34 members directly involved in the scheme implementation activities while 14 others have also been provided employment.
To generate livelihoods in the rural area, the committee has set up 20 trout fish tanks and six local fish tanks. These tanks generate annual production worth Rs 22 lakh. The trout fish is sold in the market at a rate of Rs 60 K per quintal while the local fishes are sold at a rate of Rs 300 per kilogram.
The trout fishes produced by the committee are primarily supplied to ITBP, Matli. “Previously, fish seed was provided by the department; but now, after receiving departmental training, the committee is producing fish seed itself and providing it to other fish producers at the rate of Rs 5 per piece. This has given a new impetus to fish farming in the area,” said a senior member of the committee.
Under the future plans envisaged, the committee aims to increase production to five tons and annual income to Rs 30 lakh. “This initiative in Singot village proves that if policies are in the right direction and villagers are provided with opportunities, villages can become centres of employment and the migration rate will significantly come down,” said the committee member.
A Fishery department officer said that thanks to the
State government’s self-employment policy, the border and remote villagers are becoming economically self-reliant with the migration spree being effectively checked. “We hope that this momentum will not just continue but acquire further traction in time to come,” he added.
