KVIC issues new guidelines on Modi's 'vocal for local' call

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on Wednesday issued a slew of guidelines to expedite implementation of projects under the flagship programme PMEGP to hand-hold local production a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vocal for local" appeal.

Gearing up to become "vocal for local" and further making KVIC "global", its Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena instructed the agencies concerned to scrutinize the applications under Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and forward it to banks for disbursal of funds within 26 days.

In his instruction, Saxena also mentioned to bring down this time-frame to 15 days.

It will be mandatory for implementing agencies to guide and hand-hold the applicants for formulation of proposals and assist them till sanction of loan, he said, adding all agencies will follow up with banks for early sanction of loans.

According to the revised guidelines, the Monitoring Cell at KVIC, Mumbai will monitor the application process on a daily basis while it will be giving feedback to the implementing agencies every fortnight. The progress report, thereafter, will be placed for perusal of the CEO and Chairman of KVIC.

Saxena said the revised guidelines come in the wake of the Prime Minister's appeal for encouraging local production. "As the Prime Minister has said, 'self-dependence' is the mantra, easing out the process under PMEGP will further accelerate the growth of local manufacturing. This will ensure maximum employment generation within a short-time frame," Saxena said.

He said the transformation of the khadi and village Industries from local to global was a case study for other local industries and enterprises. "As the nodal agency, KVIC is committed to hand-hold the upcoming projects under PMEGP," he added.

To boost the local production, the KVIC has decided that at least one unit each pertaining to manufacture of N95 masks, ventilators or its accessories, PPE kits for medical staff, sanitizers, liquid hand wash, thermal scanner and 'agarbatti' and soap will be set up in each district. This is in order to meet the growing demand due to prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country.

According to the revised guidelines, the implementing agencies, at the time of scrutiny, must ensure that the applicant has secured at least 60 marks out of 100 in the score card. Similarly, technical feasibility like availability of raw material, manpower, access to transport and electricity must be examined so as to reduce rejections at the bank level.

Similarly, the implementing agencies will also examine the market study, assessment of demand of the proposed product, similar projects in the vicinity and the market strategy. The agencies will ensure that the proposal falls under the selected bank's jurisdiction to avoid rejection on that ground, it said.

( With inputs from IANS )