KVIC creates self employment for migrant workers through its flagship Honey Mission Programme

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has taken a big major leap towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by creating the local and self- employment for the migrant workers through its Honey Mission Programme.

To provide the livelihood opportunity under the mission, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for MSME distributed 700 bee boxes to the 70 migrant workers of Bulandshahr and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh on August 25, 2020.

Promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, KVIC had identified these workers, provided them with 5-days training on beekeeping, and provided the necessary tool-kit and bee-boxes to them to carry out beekeeping activities.

How beekeeping helps in creating employment?

As per Vinai Kumar Saxena, KVIC Chairman informed that beekeeping will not only increase India’s honey production but it will also increase the income of the beekeepers.

He added that products such as pollen, bee wax, royal jelly, propolis, and bee venom are also marketable products which will be a profitable proposition for the locals. The bee boxes were distributed at KVICs training centre in Panjokera.

Creating self- employment for migrants:

The 70 migrant workers- 40 from Saharanpur and 30 from Bulandshahr- who were given the bee boxes had returned to their hometown from the states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka who are facing financial distress amid the COVID-19.

The migrant workers provided with the bee boxes expressed happiness towards the government support and mentioned that they will no longer need to leave in search of the jobs in other states.

With the help of beekeeping, employment will be created for the migrant workers at their doorstep which will make them self-reliant.

About the Honey Mission:

The Honey Mission was launched by KVIC in 2017 which aimed at creating employment for the Adivasis, farmers, unemployed youth, and women by roping them in beekeeping while also increasing India’s honey production.

Western Uttar Pradesh has been chosen as one of the most favourable markets for honey production as the entire region has an abundance of flora that also includes a variety of crops.

KVIC has so far distributed 1.35 lakh bee boxes in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Assam among others. This move has benefitted 13,500 people across the country while also producing nearly 8500 MT honey.