Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 8 Aug: Registrations by women entrepreneurs for the Uttarakhand government’s new initiative, ‘BHULI’, have crossed the 5,000 mark. The programme is being implemented in the state under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), making Uttarakhand the first state in North India to launch a Rural Enterprise Incubation Programme.
The programme was formally launched in Dehradun on 14 July by Rural Development Minister Bharat Singh Choudhary. The programme’s MIS portal and booklet were also unveiled on the occasion. The registration of more than 5,000 women entrepreneurs within such a short period reflects the growing interest in the initiative.
The programme is being implemented by the Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihoods Mission (USRLM) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), with technical support from the Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (FIED), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur.
Under the programme, growth-oriented women entrepreneurs from rural areas will receive expert consultation, training and business handholding support to help expand their enterprises. Assistance will also be provided in branding, packaging, quality improvement, digital marketing and establishing market linkages.
In the first phase of the programme, over 150 women entrepreneurs will be selected. Among them, 18 outstanding entrepreneurs selected across different categories will be eligible for grants of up to Rs 15 lakh per entrepreneur. Other selected entrepreneurs will be provided interest-free loans averaging up to Rs 4 lakh. Other interested women entrepreneurs will also receive skill development training and business-related guidance.
Through the 18-month incubation process, the programme aims to achieve a minimum 15–20 percent increase in the profitability of the selected enterprises.
Rural Development Minister Bharat Singh Choudhary said that a large number of women in the state are producing quality products through Self-Help Groups. He said that the need now is to move beyond limiting these products to local markets and connect them with larger markets through improved branding, packaging and modern marketing systems.
He added that the ‘BHULI’ programme would provide women entrepreneurs with the technical, managerial and business support required to systematically expand their enterprises. This initiative, he said, would help develop new enterprises in rural areas and create greater employment opportunities at the local level.
