CHENNAI: In an effort to strengthen rural enterprises, the State government has come up with a `300-crore Covid-19 assistance package, which is likely to benefit as many as 1.4 lakh people, under the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP).
The package, backed by the World Bank, and launched by Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami, will not only bridge the supply-chain gap in rural enterprises during the lockdown but also help the farmer-producer group, besides supporting women self-help groups.
P Karthikaa, Chief executive officer of TNRTP, told Express that reverse migration is happening in the State as people are returning to villages after leaving jobs in cities and other States.
The fund will provide hope to those returnees who want to start their own enterprise in the State. While the State does not have any proper figures on how many people are returning to villages, it is learnt that many villages spread across 120 blocks in Tamil Nadu are witnessing the return of at least 10 to 15 people each.
There may be various factors forcing these people to return to villages, following the lockdown. “It could be either because of hunger or fear of the viral infection,” says Karthikaa. “We are planning to support 5,000 such migrants who are skilled,” she says.
Interestingly, the project aims at rural transformation through strategies that focus beyond poverty alleviation by building sustainability and prosperity of rural communities.
Interestingly, the World Bank-assisted project aims at rural transformation through strategies that focus beyond poverty alleviation by building sustainability and prosperity of rural communities through enterprise promotion, access to finance and employment opportunities. The TNRTP was first implemented during the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with a total fund layout of `918.20 Crore.
However, the current Covid-19 assistance package will be the first-of-its-kind initiative to provide a stimulus fund to a targeted 1,39,574 beneficiaries from various categories including members of women self-help groups, individual enterprises, producer groups, enterprise groups, producer collectives, differently-abled and vulnerable members involved in livelihood or enterprise activities and skilled migrant youth returnees to start new enterprises. Minister SP Velumani, Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, senior officials, among others attended the programme launch.