A day after Prime Minister Modi announced from the Red Fort about his government's plan to launch the centrally funded programme aimed at benefiting 30,00,000 families, mostly from the OBC community, the Union Cabinet approved the £1.3 billion "Vishwakarma Yojna" to boost livelihood opportunities for craftsmen pursuing traditional skills.
Under the five-year scheme, to be formally announced on Vishwakarma Jayanti on September 17, one person each from the eligible families will get collateral-free subsidised loans of up to Rs 200,000 in two tranches at a concessional interest rate of 5%.
“Embracing our nation’s skills and cultural diversity, the Vishwakarma initiative will celebrate our traditional artisans and craftspeople, both from rural and urban India,” Modi said on X, formerly Twitter. “Honouring the timeless Guru-Shishya tradition, it will augment the efforts of our Vishwakarmas, connecting them to modern value chains and preserving their invaluable skills...”
Scheme to be fully funded by Centre
The programme would provide basic and advanced training, new tools, and market access, according to union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. For business growth and market penetration, it will also offer low-interest loan support. It is mostly OBCs, Hindus as well as their Muslim counterparts known as Pasmandas, who pursue traditional skills-based craft. “This scheme will be fully funded by the central government,” the minister said.
According to him, the government will carry out basic and advanced skilling programmes in the first tranche, providing individuals identified during training with a stipend of Rs 500 per day. According to sources, even though the plan aims to cover 30 lakh craftspeople, the government may expand the basic and higher skill training classes to more of them if more people register. For basic skill training, the government will provide stipend for five days and for advanced skilling, the training period will be 15 days. The Centre will provide Rs 15,000 support to each beneficiary for buying modern tools.