Introduction
PM Vishwakarma, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched on September 17, 2023, by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools. The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises is the nodal ministry of the PM Vishwakarma Yojana. The scheme’s objective is to support people engaged in traditional crafts. This objective is driven by the desire to support the artisans and craftspeople financially as well as to keep the age-old traditions and diverse heritage alive through local products, art, and crafts.
The scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades: carpenter (suthar/badhai), boat maker, armourer, blacksmith (lohar), hammer and tool kit maker, locksmith, goldsmith (sonar), potter (kumhaar), sculptor (moortikar, stone carver), stone breaker, cobbler (charmkar)/shoe smith/footwear artisan, mason (rajmistri), basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver, doll and toy maker (traditional), barber (naai), garland maker (malakaar), washerman (dhobi), tailor (darzi) and fishing net maker.
Need for PM Vishwakarma Yojana
The PM Vishwakarma Yojana is a vital initiative aimed at reshaping India's traditional art forms and empowering its artisans. It offers skill enhancement and modern technology to remould the crafts industry, along with collateral-free loans of up to Rs. 3 lakh (US$ 3,593). By bridging tradition with innovation, the scheme not only improves the quality of craftsmanship but also enhances artisans' competitiveness in the market.
Benefits to artisans and craftsperson
Recognition: Artisans and craftsperson are recognised through the PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
Skill Upgrade: Basic training of 5-7 days and advanced training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of US$ 5.9 (Rs. 500) per day.
Toolkit Incentive: A toolkit incentive of up to US$ 179.7 (Rs. 15,000) in the form of e-vouchers at the beginning of basic skill training.
Credit Support: Collateral-free 'Enterprise Development Loans' of up to US$ 3,593 (Rs. 3 lakh) in two tranches of US$ 1,197 (Rs. 1 lakh) and US$ 2,395 (Rs. 2 lakh) with tenures of 18 months and 30 months, respectively, at a concessional rate of interest fixed at 5%, with the Government of India subsidy to the extent of 8%. Beneficiaries who have completed basic training will be eligible to avail the first tranche of credit support of up to US$ 1,197 (Rs. 1 lakh). The second loan tranche will be available to beneficiaries who have availed the first tranche and maintained a standard loan account and have adopted digital transactions in their business or have undergone advanced training.
Incentive for Digital Transaction: An amount of Re. 1 per digital transaction, up to maximum 100 transactions monthly, will be credited to the beneficiary's account for each digital payout or receipt.
Marketing Support: Support for marketing activities provided to artisans and craftspeople in the form of quality certification, branding, onboarding on e-commerce platforms such as GeM, advertising, publicity, and other marketing activities to improve linkage to value chain.
Eligibility criteria for PM Vishwakarma Yojana
- An artisan or craftsperson working with hands and tools and engaged in one of the 18 family-based traditional trades in the unorganised sector on self-employment basis shall be eligible for registration.
- The minimum age of the beneficiary should be 18 years on the date of registration.
- The beneficiary should be engaged in the trade concerned on the date of registration.
- The beneficiary should not have availed loans under similar credit-based schemes of central or state government for self-employment/business development, e.g. PMEGP, MUDRA and PM SVANidhi, in the past five years. However, beneficiaries of MUDRA and PM SVANidhi who have fully repaid their loan will be eligible under PM Vishwakarma.
- The registration and benefits under the scheme are restricted to one member of the family. For availing benefits under the scheme, a ‘family’ is defined as consisting of the husband, wife, and unmarried children.
- A person in government service and her/his family members shall not be eligible under the scheme.
Vishwakarma Yojana: Bridging tradition and innovation in Indian artistry
Fusion of traditional with modern
The scheme helps to revive these traditional art forms through skill upgrade and the use of modern technology. PM Vishwakarma Yojana offers its recipients a collateral-free development loan of up to Rs. 3 lakh (US$ 3,593) (Rs. 1 lakh (US$ 1,197) in the first tranche and Rs. 2 lakh (US$ 2,394) in the second tranche). The scheme aims to support these craftsmen with better and more modern tools as well as to make their work more efficient. The training and financial aid provided to these workers will help bridge the gap between conventional arts and modern technology.
Melting pot of multiple art forms
The inclusion of such a wide variety of arts and crafts in the scheme aligns with the Indian ethos of unity in diversity. The scheme brings together a wide variety of different art forms under the same umbrella. This feature of the scheme was reflected in the three-day exhibition as it cradled a wide spectrum of arts and crafts like filigree, clay modelling, toy making, sculpting, chettinad jewellery and hair dressing. About 54 artisans and craftsmen from various parts of India, following the ‘guru-shishya parampara’, participated in the exhibition. The presence of so many skills under one roof allowed the exchange of skills and unique processes of each craft, allowing the artisans to learn from each other and forge a fusion of arts and culture.
One Skill, One Platform
The scheme acts as a cultural thread that links the people at two levels. On one level, several skill sets are brought together under the scheme that connects people culturally. At the second level, the scheme also bridges the region-based differences between workers. This aspect of the Yojana was exemplified at the Vishwakarma exhibition. For each craft, there are artisans coming from different regions of the country who get connected to each other due to this Yojana. The clay modelling stall had skilled workers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala moulded together like the clay they were working with to create a melting pot of diversity. The hair dressing stall had both male and female barbers from parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand working together and exchanging notes on their craft.
The scheme is weaving the artisans engaged in a multitude of crafts across geographical and cultural spaces into national recognition. Vishwakarma Yojana empowers the artisans and nurtures their art, which helps them to grow and prosper.
Financial outlay
PM Vishwakarma Yojana: The financial outlay for the scheme from 2023-24 to 2027-28 is Rs. 13,000 crore (US$ 1.56 billion). Year-wise fund allocation is given below:
|
Financial Year |
Budget Allocated (Rs. in crore) |
|
2023-24 |
1,860 |
|
2024-25 |
4,824 |
|
2025-26 |
3,009 |
|
2026-27 |
1,619 |
|
2027-28 |
1,224 |
|
2028-29 |
342 |
|
2028-29 |
103 |
|
2028-29 |
19 |
|
Total |
13,000 |
Key achievements
The key achievements of the PM Vishwakarma Yojana are as follows:
- Currently, as per the PM Vishwakarma portal, 10,68,905 applications have been registered for availing the benefits of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme.
- As of December 2023, 18 traders were part of the scheme.
- As per the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 177 candidates completed basic training and 133 candidates were assessed and certified as of December 2023. The payment of stipend to the basic training certified Vishwakarma is currently under process in the Public Finance Management System (PFMS).
Conclusion
PM Vishwakarma Yojana is expected to reach and bring prosperity to 30 lakh families. People with different art forms will get support from the government.
Partners
