Poonch, March 12, 2025 – The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute in collaboration with the Rural Development Department organised an Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme today in Poonch. The event targeted the beneficiaries of Self-Help Groups under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission and focused on raising awareness about the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance scheme, a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening micro, small, and medium enterprises across India.
The programme underscored the key features of the RAMP scheme, which is designed to empower rural entrepreneurs, particularly women from SHGs. By improving access to finance, markets, and technical support, RAMP aligns with JKEDI’s ongoing efforts to foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly in remote and underserved areas like Poonch.
Launched by the Government of India with support from the World Bank, the RAMP scheme seeks to accelerate MSME growth through capacity building, technological upgrades, and enhanced market linkages. The programme highlighted how the scheme can help NRLM SHG beneficiaries—mainly rural women organized into self-managed groups—expand their small businesses, access credit, and integrate into larger supply chains. This approach complements the NRLM’s broader mission of poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods, which has mobilized over 10 crore women into nearly 91 lakh SHGs across the country by mid-2024.
During the event, JKEDI officials emphasized the significance of such awareness campaigns in empowering local communities. They pointed out that the RAMP scheme provides a transformative opportunity for SHG members to transition from subsistence-level activities to sustainable and thriving businesses. The partnership with the RDD, which oversees NRLM implementation in Jammu and Kashmir, highlights a concerted effort to bridge the gap between policy and practice, ensuring that rural women in Poonch can leverage government schemes effectively.
The event saw active participation from SHG members, RDD representatives, and local stakeholders. Interactive sessions delved into RAMP’s provisions, such as subsidized loans, skill development workshops, and market access support. This initiative builds on JKEDI’s track record in Poonch, where it has supported over 350 small and large business units since 2016, spanning various sectors from dairy farming to healthcare ventures. These efforts align with JKEDI’s broader mission of reducing unemployment and fostering entrepreneurship.
This event follows a similar awareness programme held on March 11, 2025, in Lonepora, Kishtwar, where participants were encouraged to join capacity-building initiatives under RAMP. JKEDI’s focus on border and remote districts like Poonch and Kishtwar reflects its commitment to inclusivity, a priority highlighted by Director Ajaz Ahmad Bhat during a visit to the Pir Panjal region in 2023. He had emphasized that remote areas play a crucial role in strengthening Jammu and Kashmir’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
For SHG beneficiaries in Poonch, many of whom are part of NRLM’s Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM), the programme offered a pathway to economic independence. JKRLM’s Annual Action Plan for 2025-26, reviewed by RDD Secretary Mohammad Aijaz Asad on March 5, 2025, prioritizes expanding SHGs and promoting sustainable livelihoods. Initiatives like “Lakhpati Didi” aim to increase women’s annual incomes beyond ₹1 lakh, and the integration of RAMP into this framework can significantly enhance these outcomes, providing SHG members with the tools and support to scale their businesses.
As Jammu and Kashmir continues to shape its economic future under Union Territory status, initiatives like this JKEDI-RDD collaboration demonstrate a proactive approach to rural development. With the RAMP scheme’s focus on MSME growth and NRLM’s emphasis on grassroots empowerment, Poonch’s SHG beneficiaries are poised for a potential entrepreneurial transformation, one awareness programme at a time.