Nod for 433 clusters under SFURTI scheme: Rane

As many as 433 clusters have been approved to benefit about 2.5 lakh artisans since 2014 under the revamped Scheme of Funds for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), Parliament was informed on Monday. The MSME ministry is implementing the scheme across the country with the view to organizing traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and help increase their income. "Under the revamped SFURTI scheme, since 2014, 433 clusters have been approved to benefit about 2.5 lakh artisans," MSME Minister Narayan Rane said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

In a separate reply, he said under Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), about 7.06 lakh micro units have been assisted with a subsidy of Rs 16,847 crore and providing employment to about 58 lakh youths, as of July 31, 2021. The scheme was launched in 2008. The ministry is implementing PMEGP, a programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth in rural and urban areas. Under the scheme, beneficiaries can avail loan of up to Rs 25 lakh in the manufacturing sector and Rs 10 lakh in the service sector, with margin money (MM) subsidy of 15-35 per cent for different categories. In another reply, the minister said that till date, 1,53,759 bee boxes have been distributed to 15,495 trained beneficiaries in the country, under the Honey Mission programme.