ITANAGAR, Sept 17: Stating that Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is regarded as a great leader globally, Union minister
Kiren Rijiju on Sunday asserted that developed nations’
outlook towards India has changed significantly after the BJP-
led government came to power in 2014.
He was addressing a function here on the occasion of the
launch of the PM Vishwakarma scheme, which envisages
providing support to traditional artisans and craftspeople.
“Earlier, leaders from India were not given importance during
their visits to foreign countries. That changed after Modi
came to power in 2014, with every foreign leader not only
giving respect to Indian ministers but also expressing
willingness to conduct bilateral meetings with them and
wanting to engage with India on every front,” Rijiju, the
minister of Earth Sciences said.
Greeting Modi on his 73rd birthday, Rijiju said that the prime
minister’s style of working is different and he has a very high
energy level.
“I have worked closely with the prime minister since 2014
and have always been inspired by his energy to work for days
with hardly a few hours of sleep. He can, at a stretch, address
many meetings in a day which is difficult for a normal person
to do,” the minister added.
On the PM Vishwakarma scheme launched by Modi, Rijiju
said that the cabinet committee on economic affairs has
recently allotted Rs 13,000 crore for the scheme, which
would be available for traditional artisans and craftspeople
for five financial years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
Rijiju said that artisans can register themselves on the PM
Vishwakarma portal using biometrics.
“They will get recognition through PM Vishwakarma
certificate and ID card, their skills will be upgraded through
basic and advanced training, they will get toolkit incentive of
Rs 15,000, collateral-free credit support up to Rs 1 lakh (first
tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional
interest rate of 5 per cent, besides incentives for digital
transactions and marketing support,” he said.
“The importance of traditional artisans in Arunachal Pradesh
has reduced with the passage of time and now they can
upgrade their skills through the scheme,” Rijiju said, while
calling upon the youth of the state to take advantage of the
scheme for self-employment.
Urging youth not to look down upon any work, he said the
dignity of labour must be upheld at any cost.
The minister, who had represented Arunachal Pradesh in Lok
Sabha, said the focus of development in the state will be on
income generation.
“I am sure that in the coming years, Arunachal Pradesh will
be at the top in the country in terms of per capita Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). If we can tap even 30 per cent of
our hydropower resources, we will become a financially self-
sufficient state within the next few years,” Rijiju added. (PTI)
