The Centre’s newly announced scheme for artisans, PM Vishwakarma, will be formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti. Mr. Modi had mentioned the scheme in his Independence Day address and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had recently allotted ₹13,000 crore for the scheme. The scheme will be available for traditional craftspeople and artisans for five financial years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
“It has been the sustained focus of the Prime Minister to give support to the people engaged in traditional crafts. This focus is driven by the desire to not only support the artisans and craftspeople financially but also to keep the age-old tradition, culture and diverse heritage alive and flourishing through local products, art and crafts,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a release.
Under the scheme, the artisans can register in the PM Vishwakarma portal using biometrics. “They will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, skill upgradation involving basic and advanced training, toolkit incentive of ₹15,000, collateral-free credit support up to ₹1 lakh (first tranche) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5%, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support,” the Prime Minister’s Office added.
