Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojna is a central scheme launched on September 23 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools.
The Scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades, including carpenters (Suthar/Badhai), boat makers, armourers, blacksmith (Lohar), hammer and tool kit makers, locksmith etc.
As part of the benefits to artisans and craftspersons, the scheme gives recognition of artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
What is PM Vishwakarma Scheme?
PM Vishwakarma is a central sector scheme launched by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to provide holistic and end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople through access to collateral free credit, skill training, modern tools, incentive for digital transactions and market linkage support.
Who Are Covered In The Vishwakarma Scheme?
Carpenter (Suthar), Boat Maker, Armourer, Blacksmith (Lohar), Hammer and Tool Kit Maker, Locksmith, Goldsmith (Sunar), Potter (Kumhaar), Sculptor (Moortikar)/ stone carver / Stone breaker, Cobbler (Charmkar)/ Shoesmith/ Footwear artisan, Mason (Raajmistri), Basket Maker/ Basket Waver: Mat maker/ Coir Weaver/ Broom maker, Doll & Toy Maker (Traditional), Barber (Naai), Garland Maker (Malakaar), Washerman (Dhobi), Tailor (Darzi) and Fishing Net Maker.
Eligibility Criteria of Vishwakarma Scheme
An artisan or craftsperson working with hands and tools and engaged in one of the above family-based traditional trades, in unorganized sector on self-employment basis, shall be eligible for registration under PM Vishwakarma.
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 and should not have availed loans under similar credit-based schemes of Central Government or State Government for self-employment/ business development, e.g. PMEGP, PM SVANidhi, Mudra, in the past 5 years.
The registration and benefits under the Scheme shall be 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 their family members shall not be eligible under the Scheme.
Any individual willing to avail the benefits of the Scheme, may register on the portal www.pmvishwakarma.gov.in.
Key Benefits To The Artisans and Craftspersons
According to pmvishwakarmagov.com, the scheme envisages provisioning of the following benefits to the artisans and craftspersons:
Recognition: Recognition of artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
Skill Upgradation: Basic Training of 5-7 days and Advanced Training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of Rs. 500 per day.
Toolkit Incentive: A toolkit incentive of upto Rs. 15,000 in the form of e-vouchers at the beginning of Basic Skill Training.
Credit Support: Collateral free 'Enterprise Development Loans' of upto Rs. 3 lakh in two tranches of Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh with tenures of 18 months and 30 months, respectively, at a concessional rate of interest fixed at 5%, with Government of India subvention to the extent of 8%. Beneficiaries who have completed Basic Training will be eligible to avail the first tranche of credit support of upto Rs. 1 lakh. The second loan tranche will be available to beneficiaries who have availed the 1st tranche and maintained a standard loan account and have adopted digital transactions in their business or have undergone Advanced Training.
No prepayment penalty shall be charged from artisans and craftspeople after 6 months of loan disbursement.
Incentive for Digital Transaction: An amount of Re. 1 per digital transaction, upto maximum 100 transactions monthly will be credited to the beneficiary's account for each digital pay-out or receipt.
Marketing Support: Marketing support will be provided to the 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.
