Govt schemes ​‌help rural youth ​‌start enterprises

Lucknow: Self-employment schemes promoted by the Uttar Pradesh govt are helping rural youth set up small enterprises and generate local employment, said UP govt officials on Wednesday.They cited the success story of one Ram Lakhan who is a beneficiary of the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). A resident of Deoria village in Lakhimpur Kheri district, Lakhan has established a dairy enterprise which now employs three families. After learning about PMEGP through the district industries centre, he applied for assistance and secured a loan of Rs 10 lakh in 2024.Using the funds, he set up a dairy unit that has gradually expanded over the past two years. The enterprise now produces between five and eight quintals of milk daily, which is supplied to local markets in the area. “The business has become the primary source of livelihood for my family. Our profits range from Rs 15-30,000 a month,” said Lakhan.