The PM Vishwakarma scheme is a government initiative aimed at supporting traditional artisans and craftspeople in India, who work with their hands and tools in various trades such as blacksmithing, carpentry, pottery, and more.
What are the main objectives of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme?
The PM Vishwakarma scheme aims to support and elevate traditional Indian artisans and craftspeople, also known as “Vishwakarma,” who typically work for themselves in a variety of trades like blacksmithing, goldsmithing, carpentry, pottery, sculpting, and more. The following goals are what the plan attempts to accomplish:
- Recognition: To grant artists and craftspeople the status of Vishwakarma, entitling them to all the privileges offered by the system.
- Skill degradation: Providing opportunities for skill development and pertinent training will help them better their craftsmanship.
- Toolkit Incentive: To help artisans buy better, more advanced instruments to increase their production and the calibre of their goods and services.
- Credit Support: To provide access to debt without collateral and lower credit costs through interest subvention.
- Incentive for Digital Transactions: By offering incentives for digital transactions, we hope to promote digital empowerment among craftsmen.
- Marketing support: Promoting brand awareness and connections between markets can aid artists in taking advantage of new growth prospects.
- Socio-Economic Upliftment: To improve the socioeconomic standing and standard of living of craftsmen and craftspeople by bringing about a fundamental shift in the way these traditional occupations are done.
How is the scheme funded by the government?
The Indian government provides funding for the PM Vishwakarma scheme. Since it is a Central Sector Scheme, all of the money for it comes from the general revenue of the central government. The plan has an initial outlay that corresponds to the funding allotted for its execution.
- Central Sector Scheme: The Government of India entirely sponsors the program, and the money comes from the budget of the central government.
- Initial Outlay: The scheme has a budget that is set aside initially. This budget is used to pay for the plan’s many components, such as skill development, toolkit incentives, credit support, digital transaction incentives, marketing support, and administrative costs.
- State Contribution Absent: The PM Vishwakarma plan is wholly supported by the central government, unlike some other government programs where both the national and state governments make financial contributions. The program receives no funding from state governments.
- Regular Budgetary Allocations: The financing for the program is normally included in the central government’s annual budgetary allocations. Based on the scheme’s performance and results, these allocations might be reviewed and changed in the years to come.
- Implementation Ministries: Several ministries, including the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), and others, work together to implement the program.
Where is the word “Vishwakarma” Derived from?
- Vishwakarma is a Hindu deity and the divine architect of the gods. He is regarded as the first architect and engineer in history. Hindu scriptures claim that he created numerous monuments back when the universe was just beginning. He is also responsible for the architecture, machinery, and tools of the cosmos.
- All artisans and architects worship the god Vishwakarma. He is also referred to as the divine carpenter and skilled craftsman who created the gods’ chariots, cities, and weapons.
- The day designated as Vishwakarma’s birthday is known as Vishwakarma Jayanti. On September 17, 2023, Vishwakarma Puja will be held this year.
- On the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the PM Vishwakarma Scheme.
What are the benefits of the PM Vishwakarma Cheme?
The PM Vishwakarma scheme intends to offer a variety of advantages to traditional workers who are known as Vishwakarma who use their hands and tools to perform a variety of traditional occupations. These advantages aim to raise their socioeconomic standing, develop their capabilities, and incorporate them into both the domestic and international value chains.
- Recognition as Vishwakarma: The program strives to identify artists and craftspeople as Vishwakarma, granting them access to all of the program’s benefits.
- Enhancing abilities: The program offers participants the chance to enhance their abilities and make available to them chances for relevant and appropriate training. Basic and advanced training programs fall under this category.
- Toolkit Incentive: Recipients receive a toolkit incentive to gain access to better and more contemporary tools, improving their competence, productivity, and the calibre of their goods and services.
- Credit Support: The program offers simple access to collateral-free credit to recipients and lowers the cost of credit by waiving interest charges. Loans are available to recipients, who can use them to invest in and grow their businesses.
- Incentive for Digital Transactions: The program gives rewards for digital transactions to promote Vishwakarmas’ digital empowerment. Beneficiaries receive incentives for making use of digital payment options.
- Marketing Support: Vishwakarmas are given marketing assistance to help them advertise their goods and services. They can access new growth prospects by using quality certification, branding, advertising, and publicity.
- Access to Social Security schemes: The program encourages knowledge of and participation in social security benefits offered by several government programs, including the Prime Minister Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Prime Minister Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana
- End-to-End Support: To help Vishwakarma advance in their particular trades, PM Vishwakarma offers comprehensive end-to-end support, including skill development, access to tools, credit, digital empowerment, and marketing.
- Participation in trade fairs: Participation in Trade Fairs and exhibits: Recipients may be given the chance to take part in trade shows, exhibits, and other occasions to promote their goods and broaden their market reach.
Which are the trades included in this scheme?
- Blacksmithing
- Carpentry
- Pottery and Ceramics
- Weaving and Textiles
- Handicrafts
- Bamboo and Cane Craft
- Leatherwork
- Jewelry Making
- Stone Carving
- Artistic Glasswork
- Terra Cotta Work
- Dyeing and Printing
- Metalwork
- Painting and Miniature Art
- Sculpture
- Woodcarving:
- Tribal and Indigenous Crafts
- Khadi and Handloom Production
- Dhokra Craft:
- Tie and Dye
- Papier-Mâché
What are the eligibility criteria mentioned in the scheme?
- Occupation: Working in one of the family-based traditional trades listed in Paragraph 2.3 of the program, the beneficiary must be an artist or craftsperson. Typically, these trades entail using both hands and tools.
- Minimum Age: At the time of registration, the beneficiary must be at least 18 years old.
- Current Employment: On the date of registration, the beneficiary must be working in the designated trade. In the previous five years, they shouldn’t have accessed loans through comparable credit-based programs of the federal or state governments for self-employment or business growth. People who have fully returned loans taken out under programs like MUDRA and PM SVANidhi, however, are eligible for PM Vishwakarma.
- Family Restrictions: Only one family member may register and get benefits under the program. The definition of a “family” is the husband, wife, and unmarried children.
- Exclusions: Government employees are excluded from the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, as are members of their families who work for the government.
How are the artisans going to be certified?
After completing the three-step verification and approval process successfully, artists and craftspeople will be enrolled as Vishwakarma under this Scheme. They will be given a digital ID, a PM Vishwakarma ID card, and a digital certificate. The certificate will allow the candidates to be recognized as Vishwakarma, allowing them to be eligible for all of the Scheme’s advantages.
