Self - employment programme in India

The problem of Unemployment has been receiving constant attention particularly after independence. The growing population has kept adding to the already existing backlog of unemployment since additional job avenues created during a plan period generally always fall short of actual requirements. However, the efforts of the government have always been aimed at evolving new policies and to divert additional resources in order to tackle the problem of unemployment in the country. It was with the same objective that the Self-Employment Scheme for Educated Unemployed Youth was started by the Government in 1983-84. This book is the
outcome of an evaluation study of this scheme conducted by the Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow at the request of the Development Commissioner, Small Scale Industries, New Delhi. The findings of the study highlight the fact that this scheme has gone to long way in providing not only employment to the beneficiaries but also towards increasing their levels of living
through increased incomes. The household incomes have registered an increase of around 60 per cent as a -result of this scheme. Its success can be viewed from the fact that the particular venture undertaken by the beneficiary household is now its primary activity and it alone contribute almost one-half of the total household income. Moreover, the scheme also opens avenues of gainful employment for other people as well particularly in the case of industrial units which' has been set up in different areas. How-
- ever, the scheme is not without limitations. The scheme needs to be better advertised so that unemployed youth can acquire better knowledge about ii.Besides, the present system of beneficijry selection as well as sanction and disbursement of loan needs to be rationalised in order .to make the scheme more effective. Above 'all, there is need to ensure suitable follow-up measures such that a venture once begun becomes economically viable a well.