As many as 295 persons in Sirsa district are expected to get employment opportunities under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), aimed at promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship among members of the Scheduled Castes.

A district-level Project Evaluation and Convergence Committee, chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner Arpit Sangal, on Monday reviewed 12 projects worth Rs 1.47 crore under the scheme.

District Welfare Officer Rakesh Kumar said PM-AJAY, implemented by the Haryana Department of Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and Antyodaya (SEWA), focused on improving livelihoods in villages with a significant Scheduled Caste population. The scheme provides financial assistance to economically weaker beneficiaries to help them start businesses and become self-reliant.

The projects have been proposed by the Haryana Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation through the district office. They cover a range of self-employment ventures, including commercial vehicles, digital photo studios, cosmetic shops, T-shirt printing units, drone, AI and IT-based enterprises, salons, beauty parlours, cloth and handloom shops, photocopying and online service centres, high-tech car and bike-washing centres, electronics shops, and flex-printing units.

The officials said the projects were expected to generate employment not only for the beneficiaries but also for others.