Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on Tuesday announced that the government will launch the 'Vishwakarma Yojana' during the upcoming Vishwakarma Diwas. Under the 'Vishwakarma Yojana', the artisans and skilled workers, who mostly belong to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) community, would be given benefits worth Rs 15,000 crore.
From the ramparts of the Red Fort on India's 77th Independence Day, PM Modi said the scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Diwas on September 17.
"For all our workers, artisans who mostly belong to the OBC community, we will launch the Vishwakarma Yojana on the occasion of the forthcoming Vishwakarma Diwas, where around Rs 15,000 crore would be provided to them," the Prime Minister said.
He also informed that to support agri-tech sector and strengthen women self help groups (SHGs), around 15,000 drones would be provided to them and for this purpose, training will be imparted to such groups.
Modi said that these schemes are in line with several initiatives of the government like Jan Dhan Yojana, PM SvaNidhi scheme, and Ujjwala scheme, among others.
The scheme has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
What is Vishwakarma Yojana?
Prime Minister announced that a mega scheme, called Vishwakarma Yojana, with an outlay of Rs 13,000-Rs 15,000 crore, will be launched next month to help carpenters, goldsmiths, mason, laundry workers, barbers and other people engaged in such traditional professions.
The scheme, mainly benefiting people belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, will be launched on Vishwakarma Jayanti which falls on September 17, he said.
The scheme was also announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech earlier in February.
Under the scheme, the government will provide financial help, training about modern and green technology, promotion of brands, connectivity with local and global markets, digital payments, and social security are also included.
PM Modi said that the government will provide institutional support to every 'Vishwakarma' of the country.
This scheme will help in getting loans, skill training, technology, digital empowerment, raw material, and marketing.
Key takeaways of Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana
- Financial support
- Advance skill training
- Access to the latest technology
- Paperless payments
- Wide-scale and access of artisans to the global market
- Rs 500 per day stipend
- Loan for business up to Rs 1 lakh will be given in the first phase while up to Rs 2 lakh in the second phase
- Around 30 lakh families will be supported in the Vishwakarma scheme which means one person from each family will get government's support.
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