The Central government has called a meeting of senior officials from states, public sector banks and State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) on Monday, to discuss the implementation of newly launched ‘PM Vishwakarma‘ scheme PTI reported citing government sources.
“The Skill Ministry has called a meeting on August 28, in which principal secretaries of states, managing directors of banks, and SLBC representatives have been invited” an official said on condition of anonymity.
“The meeting will discuss the roadmap for implementation of the scheme and process of identification of beneficiaries of PM Vishwakarma scheme,” the official added.
The scheme is to be implemented by three ministries — MSME, Skill Development and Finance and has a target of as much as 3 lakh beneficiaries enrolled in the current fiscal, the official said.
Under the scheme, the skilled workmen will be given training for 4-5 days to upgrade their skill, following which they will become eligible for loan. The main thrust of the scheme will be on rural areas, where village-level and district-level committees will identify the beneficiaries.
In urban India, municipal corporations will identify the beneficiaries. A final decision on enrolment will be taken by the MSME ministry, the official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement about the scheme in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2023. The Union Cabinet on August 16, approved the central sector scheme “PM Vishwakarma” with a financial outlay of ₹13,000 crore for a period of five years (2023-24 to 2027-28).
What is PM Vishwakarma scheme?
Under PM Vishwakarma scheme, the artisans and craftspeople will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, Credit Support up to ₹1 lakh (First Tranche) and ₹2 lakh (Second Tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5%.
The scheme will provide support to artisans and craftspeople of rural and urban areas across India. As many as 18 traditional trades will be covered in the first instance under PM Vishwakarma.
The trades include in the PM Vishwakarma scheme are: carpenter, boat maker, armourer, blacksmith, hammer and tool kit maker, locksmith, goldsmith, potter, sculptor, stone breaker, cobbler/ shoesmith/footwear artisan, mason, basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver, doll & toy maker, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor, and fishing net maker.
