PM Vishwakarma Scheme

PM Vishwakarma Scheme

News: Recently, the PM Modi launched the 'Prime Minister (PM) Vishwakarma Scheme' on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti.

Key Details about the scheme:
• The scheme aims at improving the quality as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftspeople and to ensure that the Vishwakarmas are integrated into the domestic and global value chains.
• PM Vishwakarma will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Government of India, with an initial outlay of Rs 13,000 crore.
• The Scheme will be conjointly implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Government of India.
• MSME will be the Nodal Ministry for the Scheme.
• PM Vishwakarma will be initially implemented for five years up to 2027-28. The Scheme will be rolled out in rural and urban areas with a focus on saturating districts in a phased manner.

Eligibility Criteria
• Artisan/craftsperson working with hands and tools and engaged in one of the 18 family-based traditional trades. Benefits shall be restricted to one member of the family. Minimum age - 18 years on the date of registration.
• Exclusion - Existing beneficiaries of the PM Employment Generation Programme. ‘Beneficiaries of’ PM Mudra Scheme or PM-SVanidhi can apply for credit only after repayment.

Indian trades and crafts under the scheme
• Wood-based - Carpentry, boat making
• Iron/metal/stone based - Armourer, blacksmith, hammer and toolkit maker, locksmith, sculptor, stone breaker.
• Gold/silver based - Goldsmith, Silversmith
• Clay-based - Potter
• Leather-based - Cobbler, Footwear artisan
• Architecture/construction based - Masons
• Others - Basket/ Mat/ Broom Maker/ Coir Weaver, Doll and toy Maker (Traditional), barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor, fishing net maker

Which are other government initiatives for artisans?
• National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP)
• Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS)
• Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojna
• Mega cluster scheme - The program follows a mega cluster-based approach in scaling up infrastructural and production chains at handicraft centers that have remained unorganized and have not kept up with modernization and other developments.