HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, Sept 17: Union minister of state for fisheries, animal
husbandry and dairying Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan launched the
PM Vishwakarma Scheme in Kohima on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, Baliyan said the scheme would be
fully funded by the Union government with an outlay of Rs
13,000 crore.
Under the scheme, he said, the Vishwakarmas will be registered
free of charge through common services centres using
biometric based PM Vishwakarma portal. He added that they
will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma
certificate and ID card, skill upgradation involving basic and
advanced training, 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%, incentive
for digital transactions and marketing support.
He said the scheme would provide support to artisans and
craftspeople in rural and urban areas across India. He said 18
traditional crafts will be covered under PM Vishwakarma that
include carpenter, boat maker, armourer, blacksmith, hammer
and tool kit maker, locksmith, goldsmith, potter, sculptor, stone
breaker, cobbler/footwear artisan), mason, basket/mat/broom
maker/coir weaver, doll & toy maker (traditional), barber,
garland maker, washerman tailor, and fishing net maker.
Through the scheme, he said, the Centre is providing avenues
for skills development and entrepreneurship, fostering
innovation and creativity and ensuring a better livelihood.
Baliyan added that this scheme recognises the need for
continuous up skilling and re-skilling in a rapidly changing
world.
Highlighting the benefits of the scheme, Baiyan said its
objective is to enhance the skills of our workforce, simplified
access to credit and financial support and lay strong emphasis
on adoption of modern technology and digital tools. It is also to
establish robust market linkages to connect skilled workers
with both domestic and international markets and provide
access to social security schemes to the work force.
Baliyan said the scheme also intended to provide recognition
and holistic support to the traditional artisans and craftsmen
working with their hands and elementary tools, so as to
improve the quality, scale and reach of their products and also
to integrate them with MSME value chains.
Nagaland MLA and adviser to labour, employment and skill
development, Moatoshi Longkumer, among others, also
attended the programme.
He said the state has immense potential for micro-
entrepreneurship ventures that can address unemployment,
but traditionally the population has majorly depended on
government jobs as a source of sustainable livelihood.
However, saturation of jobs in the government sector,
combined with the lack of industrial activities and absence of
organised private sector in the state, has hampered the
employment opportunities of jobless youths, he said.
Nagaland has a large reservoir of traditional skills that
encompass a wide range of crafts, from artisanal pottery to
handloom weaving, from woodworking to traditional
agriculture, and many more, he said.
These skills have been honed over centuries and offer a wealth
of untapped potential for economic growth and empowerment,
he said.
Calling all to embrace the Naga traditional heritage as a source
of economic growth and empowerment for all, Longkumer said
the PM Vishwakarma Scheme is custom-made for Nagaland,
which perfectly fits into our social and customary practices that
have the potential to change the economic scenario of the
state. (With inputs from PTI)
