PM Vishwakarma Scheme Will Open New Horizons Of Growth For Artisans And Craftsmen

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme to support the artisans and craftspeople and bring their workforce into the mainstream. The scheme will initially cover artisans and craftsmen involved in 18 traditional trades, including Carpenters, Boat Makers, Armourers, Blacksmiths, Hammer and Toolkit Makers, Stone Carvers, Goldsmiths, Potters and others. The scheme was launched on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti for the promotion and support of the traditional crafts of India.

Artisans and craftsmen are considered a significant section of Indian society and are often seen as working on the sidelines to keep the country's economy running. Specialized in various traditional crafts and skills, these artisans and craftspersons are referred to as 'Vishwakarmas', who, with their hands and tools, give shape to the economy.

The scheme, which was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2023-2024, has an initial outlay of INR 13,000 crore over five years up to 2027-2028.

With the implementation of the scheme, the government aims to uplift the artisans’ socio-economic status as well as their quality of life.

What Is The PM Vishwakarma Scheme?

The scheme has been announced for artisans and craftsmen aiming towards improving the quality, scale, and reach of their products and integrating them with the MSME value chain. PM Vishwakarma scheme is a centre-funded scheme with an outlay of INR 13,000 crore.

The scheme was launched at the Indian International Convention and Expo Centre, also known as Yashobhoomi, in New Delhi.

Objective Of The Scheme

The key objectives of the scheme are as follows:

• Recognition of artisans and craftspeople as Vishwakarma.
• Honing the skills of the beneficiaries and make relevant training opportunities available to them.
• Enhancing their capability, productivity, and quality of products and services by providing better and modern tools.
• Easy access to collateral-free credit to beneficiaries and reduce the cost of credit by providing interest subvention.
• Digital empowerment of Vishwakarmas by incentivizing digital transactions.
• Brand promotion and market linkages to help beneficiaries access new opportunities for growth.

Benefits Of The Scheme

• PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card will be given to artisans and craftspeople with a unique digital number that will reflect on the mentioned documents. The certificate-holding applicant will be recognized as a Vishwakarma and will become eligible to avail all the benefits under the Scheme.
• Artisans and craftspeople, who have been working with hands and traditional tools for generations, will be enrolled in various programmes to enhance their skills. The intervention consists of three components: Skill Assessment, Basic Training and Advanced Training. The skill upgradation will embed modern tools, design elements and integration with the sector value chain as its key components of domain skilling.
• Registered beneficiaries will be assessed on the basis of their existing skill levels for charting the future path of skill upgradation. The list of beneficiaries undergoing Skill Assessment will be shared with the MSME Ministry so that toolkit incentive can be provided. Basic Training will be essential for all registered Vishwakarmas for drawing the first tranche of loan. Beneficiaries will be eligible to receive a training stipend of INR 500 per day while undergoing the Basic and Advanced Training programmes.
• At the beginning of Basic Training, beneficiaries will receive a toolkit incentive of up to INR 15,000 will be provided to the beneficiary. The incentive can be utilized at designated centres to procure improved toolkits.
• Beneficiaries will be eligible for a collateral-free 'Enterprise Development Loan' of INR 3 lakh, divided into two tranches (up to INR 1 lakh, first tranche; INR 2 lakh, second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent, incentive for digital transactions, and marketing support.

Marketing Support

The registered artisans and craftspeople will be provided support by the National Committee for Marketing (NCM) for the marketing and branding of their products in the form of quality certification, branding, advertising, publicity and other marketing activities. This will improve beneficiaries’ linkage to the value chain of MSMEs and established companies.

The 18 initial trades included by the government under the scheme are Carpenters, Boat Makers, Armourer, Blacksmiths, Hammer and Tool Kit Makers, Locksmiths, Goldsmiths, Potter, Sculptors/stone carver/Stone breaker, Cobblers/Footwear artisans, Masons, Basket/Mat/Broom Makers/Coir Weavers, Doll & Toy Makers, Barbers, Garland Makers, Washermen, Tailors, and Fishing Net Makers.

The list of trades would be modified by the National Steering Committee with the approval of the MSME Ministry.

Eligibility For The Scheme

• Beneficiaries should be engaged in the specified trades and should not have availed loans under similar government-funded credit-based schemes for self-employment or business development such as the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), PM SVANidhi, MUDRA Scheme in the past five years. However, the MUDRA and SVANidhi beneficiaries whose loans have been fully repaid will be eligible under Vishwakarma scheme
• The registration and benefits under the Scheme will be restricted to one member of the family, consisting of the husband, wife and unmarried children
• Government employee and his/her family members will not be eligible under the Scheme

Documents like Aadhaar, mobile number, bank details, ration card are required for the registration under the scheme. The beneficiary is required to provide Aadhaar numbers of all the family members in case of not having a ration card.

Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will be registered for free through Common Services Centres using the biometric-based PM Vishwakarma portal.

Handicraft Export

Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh, citing the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) data while replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, had said, "As of December 2022, the export of handicraft products including via e-commerce platforms had jumped by 26.2 per cent to INR 32,417 crore in FY22 from INR 25,679 crore in the previous financial year."

"In FY22, woodware products worth INR 7,891 crore were exported. It was followed by embroidered and crocheted goods which amounted to INR 5,674 crore, art metal wares worth INR 4,179 crore, handprinted textiles worth INR 2,995 crore among others," the Minister had added.

Conclusion

The PM Vishwakarma scheme, if implemented successfully, will mark a significant step towards skill development and entrepreneurship among the artisans and craftspeople of the country. The scheme will open new horizons for the community by empowering them with appropriate skill training and modern tools. Also, not only will this scheme preserve art that has survived generations, but it will also help in advancing it with new innovative ideas. As the scheme unfolds and evolves, the local products will also grab global eyeballs with great marketing. With the overall implementation of the scheme, the artisan community is expected to make a meaningful contribution to the nation's socio-economic development, ultimately bringing about a brighter and more prosperous future for all.