UMEED Scheme empowers women in Ramban

Ramban

Unemployed women in the Sangaldan block of Ramban district have become financially independent by starting small businesses under the UMEED scheme of the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM). Engaged in ventures like tailoring and cosmetics, they are now able to support their families, access bank loans without guarantors, and encourage other women to follow their path.

A beneficiary shared, "Our group has been associated with UMEED since 2018... and I opened this shop after taking a loan through the scheme. I carry out tailoring work as well as run my shop. Our jobs are going well, and our children are also able to study well, therefore we thank UMEED. Every woman in the group is doing something of their own due to it."

Since 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) has actively helped marginalized women engage in sustainable livelihood opportunities. Earlier, women in Rajouri also benefited from the scheme under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), launching small businesses in 2023.

A participant stated, "...We made people aware of the NRLM UMEED scheme, and at present, all the women in the Panchayat have joined this scheme, due to which our unemployment has been declining rapidly..."

Jammu and Kashmir ranks among the top ten states and UTs in utilizing the UMEED scheme, creating employment for financially weak women. The centrally sponsored program encourages women to save and make their Self-Help Groups (SHGs) bankable with reduced interest rates, fostering economic growth and self-sufficiency.