Self-employment scheme help Bandipora Woman become self-reliant

Bandipora, Feb 16: The welfare schemes of the government meant to provide self-employment to the unemployed youth of Kashmir to make them self-reliant are turning boon in this part of North Kashmir, where women are voluntarily visiting various government departments to avail benefits under schemes of their choice to become self-employed besides generating employment for others.

With the assistance of these welfare schemes, the omen of Bandipora are contributing to the economy of their households to a large extent by becoming self-sufficient. They have also become a source of inspiration for others.

Sheep rearing is one such sector that makes a valuable contribution to the weaker sections of the society in Bandipora by its multifaceted utility of producing wool, meat, skin, manure etc. Realizing this, many developmental activities including schemes for intensive sheep development in the UT have been initiated and the women here are grabbing the opportunity with open arms.

One ouch example is Mumtaz Begum, a shy introvert 333-year-old college dropout and now a house maker from Sheikpal Watrina area of district Bandipora, who in early 2020 approached Sheep Husbandry Department Bandipora for a Sheep Unit to earn a livelihood.

Extending a helping hand, the department provided a 50 ewe sheep unit to Mumtaza under state sector Scheme-Mini Sheep Farm in the year 2020. She grabbed the opportunity with both of her hands with the motive to transform her life and the fate of her husband besides employing two more men who work on her sheep farm.

“Two men are working on my farm on a monthly salary of 9000 each,” said Mumtaza It was not however easy to break the set stereotype and centuries-old male dominance to carve a sustainable livelihood for herself and her family, she added.

Starting with 50 sheep Mumtaza now possesses more than 250 sheep that have proven self-sufficient for her to earn livelihood for herself and the family besides providing livelihood to two other families.

“The department (Sheep Husbandry Department) has provided me with every support whenever needed”, she said. She is supported by her husband and is happy to have successfully taken up this opportunity. She appealed to other women to reap full benefits of schemes kept available by the UT government of Jammu and Kashmir