Dehradun, Dec. 18 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that the government was committed to building a self-reliant Uttarakhand, and was focussing on fostering job creators rather than job seekers. Dhami made the assertion after announcing the distribution of a cumulative Rs.33.22 crore under the Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana to 3,848 beneficiaries at his official residence. He said the scheme has emerged as one of the state's flagship initiatives, playing a crucial role in curbing migration, promoting reverse migration and generating employment at the local level. Dhami said migrant workers who returned to the state during the Covid-19 Pandemic, young entrepreneurs, artisans, craftsmen and educated unemployed youth were the primary beneficiaries of the scheme. Under it, permanent residents of the state can avail of loans to start ventures in the manufacturing, service and trade sectors through nationalised, cooperative and regional rural banks. Projects worth at least Rs.25 lakh were eligible for manufacturing units, while projects worth up to Rs.10 lakh were permissible for service and trade units. A marginal subsidy of 15 to 25% of the project costs was also provided. "The target was to connect around 32,000 beneficiaries, but so far, more than 35,000 people have been helped," said the chief minister. According to Dhami, loans worth over Rs.1,389 crore have been disbursed under the scheme so far, leading to the creation of nearly 64,966 new jobs across the state. "This proves that the scheme is not limited to paperwork, but is being implemented effectively on the ground," he said, describing it as a "game-changer" for small traders and a major step towards the state's self-reliance. Dhami added that considering the success of the initiative, the Mukhyamantri Swarozgar Yojana 2.0 (MSY 2.0) was launched from 2025 by integrating the MSY and Nano schemes. Under the revised framework, the subsidy limit was increased from 15% to 30%. An additional 5% subsidy provision was also introduced under geographical, social and product booster categories, making the scheme both economically and socially empowering, he said. Dhami said subsidies were being transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts through online platforms, reflecting the government's transparent, technology-driven and corruption-free working style....