SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir saw 9,863 micro enterprises assisted under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme in 2024–25, generating an estimated 78,904 jobs, a sharp decline from 15,065 units and 120,520 jobs recorded in 2023–24, official parliamentary figures show.
The Ministry of MSME’s answer to a Lok Sabha reply shows Jammu and Kashmir assisted 12,023 enterprises in 2022–23 (estimated employment 96,184), 15,065 in 2023–24 (120,520) and 9,863 in 2024–25 (78,904). The three-year sequence records a peak in 2023–24 followed by a sizeable fall in 2024–25. The data give a year-by-year account of units assisted and the estimated employment each year.
Under PMEGP, beneficiaries in rural areas and those in special categories, including Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, receive a higher margin-money subsidy and lower own contribution. The scheme permits a margin-money subsidy of 25–35 per cent for special category beneficiaries in urban and rural areas, respectively, compared with 15–25 per cent for general category beneficiaries; own contribution for special category beneficiaries is five per cent of project cost versus ten per cent for general beneficiaries.
The Ministry described procedural and monitoring arrangements under PMEGP: project recommendations are made by district-level committees and loan sanction rests with banks; State Level and District Level Monitoring Committees review implementation; a tracking portal monitors applications to subsidy adjustment; and physical verification with geo-tagging is used to confirm establishment and working status. The ministry also said district resource persons provide hand-holding for DPR preparation, bank linkage and regulatory compliance.
Nationwide, PMEGP assisted 85,167 micro enterprises in 2022–23, creating an estimated 681,336 jobs; 89,118 units in 2023–24, creating 712,944 jobs; and 59,708 units in 2024–25, creating 477,664 jobs, according to the same parliamentary annexure.
Separately, the government said under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), which provides collateral-free institutional credit via banks, regional rural banks, NBFCs and microfinance institutions, a total of 56.46 crore loan accounts amounting to Rs 38.38 lakh crore have been extended since the scheme’s inception up to 16 January 2026. The Budget 2024–25 introduced a new Tarun Plus category, raising the Mudra loan ceiling to Rs 20 lakh for repeat, well-performing borrowers, the ministry added.
