PM Modi launches Vishwakarma Scheme for traditional artisans and craftspersons, urges
PM Modi launches Vishwakarma Scheme for traditional artisans and craftspersons, urges people to be ‘vocal for local’
m.u.h
17/09/2023145
Stating it was the need of the hour that ‘Vishwakarmas’ are recognised and supported, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the PM Vishwakarma Scheme for providing collateral-free loans and skills training to 18 categories of traditional artisans and craftspersons.
The scheme has a Rs 13,000 crore outlay over five years up to 2027-28. Speaking while inaugurating Yashobhoomi, or the India International Convention Centre at Delhi’s Dwarka, Modi also said that India is on its way to becoming a major destination for conference tourism and the new centre, along with the ‘Bharat Mandapam’, will be a medium for showcasing India of the future.
Noting the growing demand for handmade products, Modi said big global companies sublet their work to small enterprises. “This outsourced work should come to our Vishwakarma friends and they become a part of the global supply chain; we are working for this. That is why this scheme is an effort to take the Vishwakarma friends into the modern age,” he said at the inauguration event, which coincided with Vishwakarma Jayanti and his own birthday.
India’s current global share of conference tourism is only 1 per cent, Modi said, adding that international exhibition centres like Yashobhoomi and Bharat Mandapam will increase that share. “For artisans joining virtually from rural areas, I want to tell them that this centre is going to showcase your art in front of the entire world. It will play an important role in making India’s local products global,” Modi said.
He further said the dedication to ‘vocal for local’ is the responsibility of the entire country. “First we have to be vocal for local and then we will have to take the local global,” he added. The government at the Centre prioritises the “development of the deprived”, the prime minister said.
He also highlighted the ‘One District, One Product’ scheme and mentioned opening the banking channels for street vendors through the PM Svanidhi Scheme. “Modi stands for those who have nobody to care about them,” the prime minister said. He said that he was here to serve, give a life of dignity and ensure that service delivery happens without fail. “This is Modi’s guarantee,” an official statement quoting him said.
The PM Vishwakarma Scheme will allow artisans to attend a five-day skilling workshop, a voucher to buy toolkits, and the provision for guarantee-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh. Present for the launch alongside PM Modi were Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, MSME Minister Narayan Rane and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Under the MSME Ministry, the PM Vishwakarma scheme is aimed at 18 categories of artisans and craftspeople like carpenters, boat makers, blacksmiths, potters, stone sculptors, weavers, and garland makers. For the skills development component, the scheme will host a 5-day training workshop for beneficiaries with a daily stipend of Rs 500. It will also provide them with a voucher of Rs 15,000 to buy toolkits necessary for their craft. “I request the artisans to buy only Made in India toolkits and from GST registered stores,” PM Modi appealed in his speech.
Under the financial assistance component of the scheme, beneficiaries would first be eligible for an interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh, which they would have to repay within 18 months. Upon repayment, they would qualify for a second tranche of loan worth Rs 2 lakh at an interest rate of 5 per cent. Finance minister Sitharaman added that beneficiaries would also get a subsidy of up to 8 per cent of the interest amount. She added that the verification of beneficiaries would be done at three levels, which are the gram panchayat, district collector, and state levels. “There will be committees identifying these people and making the final list of beneficiaries,” she said.
Furthermore, the financial assistance component of the PM Vishwakarma scheme is guarantee-free. “When banks don’t ask for your guarantee, that is because Modi gives the guarantee,” the prime minister said.
Under the scheme, a concessional rate of interest of 5 per cent will be charged from the beneficiary with an interest subvention cap of 8 per cent to be paid by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the Centre. The scheme is expected to benefit about 30 lakh families of traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers.
The prime minister also pointed out the importance of artisans in modern times, observing that their craft continues to be relevant even as there is progress in technology. “No matter how much technology advances, these artisans will always be needed. These days, even with refrigerators, people prefer drinking from (earthen) pots,” he said.
Referring to the upcoming festivities in the country, such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Dhanteras, Deepawali and others, the prime minister urged people to buy local products, especially those to which the Vishwakarmas have contributed.
Alongside the scheme, PM Modi also launched postal stamps inspired by the scheme and a toolkit booklet for artisans written in various languages. He also awarded the PM Vishwakarma certificate to several artisans, including a tailor from Jammu and Kashmir, a boat maker from Kerala, a basket maker from Tripura and a blacksmith from Punjab. He also undertook a walk-through of the exhibition – Guru-Shishya Parampara and New Technology and inspected the 3D Model of Yashobhoomi. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated the extension of the Delhi Airport Metro Express line from Dwarka Sector 21 to a new metro station ‘Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25’.
During his Independence Day address, Modi had said the Vishwakarma Yojana will be launched in the coming days. Following this, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, had approved the scheme aimed at benefiting individuals skilled in traditional craftsmanship.
The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the “guru-shishya parampara” (teacher-pupil tradition) or family-based practice of traditional skills by artisans and craftspeople working with their hands and tools, the government had said in a statement. Under PM Vishwakarma scheme, the artisans and craftspeople will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, Credit Support up to Rs 1 lakh (first tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent. The scheme will further provide skill upgradation, toolkit incentives, digital transactions and marketing support.
In Budget 2023-24, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM VIKAS) Yojana for traditional artisans and craftspeople. “For the first time, a package of assistance for them has been conceptualised. The new scheme will enable them to improve the quality, scale and reach of their products, integrating them with the MSME value chain. The components of the scheme will include not only financial support but also access to advanced skill training, knowledge of modern digital techniques and efficient green technologies, brand promotion, linkage with local and global markets, digital payments, and social security. This will greatly benefit the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, women and people belonging to the weaker sections,” she had said.
