R-SETIs face land crunch problem in Uttarakhand

The Central government’s attempt to set up rural self-employment training institutes (RSETIs), one of its major initiatives to empower aam aadmi in rural areas, appears to have hit roadblock in Uttarakhand due to unavailability of land. “We are facing a lot of problems as far as RSETIs are concerned in Uttarakhand. In at least five districts of the total 13, we are still to get land from the government,” said S P Kalara, assistant general manager (SBI), which is the lead bank for the programme. SBI is implementing RSETIs in nine of the 13 districts of the state.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development had embarked upon this initiative to setup one RSETI in each district of the country. Top officials termed the establishment of RSETIs as one of the most innovative initiatives of the centre to provide training to the rural below the poverty line persons and ensure wage employment/self-employment to them. Public sector banks will ensure credit linkages in this scheme.

Banks claimed through the technical training from RSETIs, the unemployed youths will have the chance to become successful entrepreneurs. The Centre is spending Rs 1 crore for each RSETI in the hill state where the government is yet to provide land in five districts of Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Nainital, Tehri and Champawat. “We have been raising this issue in all the meetings of the state level bankers committee (SLBC). We will take up the matter in the next meeting as well,” said Kalara, who is heading the SLBC. In all these districts, the banks have started the programme in the rented accommodation for time being, said Jyotish Ghildyal, chief manager, SBI here. In Udham Singh district, Bank of Baroda purchased land for RSETI from its own funds. The land which was allocated in Pithoragarh district is insufficient. Due to unavailability of adequate land, the government has now agreed to provide nearly half acre of land for setting up an RSETI in the hill districts. “We will provide five acres of land for this purpose in all those districts where land is not sufficient,” said a government official.