Odisha, November 2023.

To honor the PM Vishwakarma Gurus across various trades under the PM Vishwakarma scheme, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship today felicitated 26 expert artisans and craftsman during the ‘SammaanSamaroh of Vishwakarma Gurus ‘ under the ‘PM Vishwakarma’ scheme who will further act as brand ambassadors of the scheme and will also will extend opportunities to them to become Master Trainers and Trainers in their respective trades.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the ‘PM Vishwakarma’ scheme across 18 trades which further has 28 sub-trades (Ref. to Annexure 1). The scheme is to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople.The aim of the scheme is to equip artisans and craftspeople with modern tools and techniques coupled with credit support.

The event was also graced by Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE; SmtTrishaljitSethi, DG, Directorate General of Training (DGT), Smt. Sonal Mishra, Joint Secretary, MSDE, Smt. Ishita Ganguli Tripathy, Additional Development Commissioner, MSME, Shri Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO, NSDC, Col. Mahendra Singh Payaal, Chief Program Officer, NSDC.

Driven by the vision to make Guru-Shishya tradition more scalable, accessible and innovative in its embodiment, artisans will be trained in modern tools, design elements andlatest technologies to transform them into the master trainers.The scheme aims to preservetraditional skills, nurture entrepreneurial talent, market local products and augment socio-economic growth through such awareness programs and and felicitation ceremony. The PM Vishwakarma Gurus can bring a lot of personal experience and learnings to those who can benefit from the scheme.

By streamlining and expediting the orientation of these experts, the ministry envisions that the Gurus will become brand ambassadors of their respective trade under the PM Vishwakarma and help in creating awareness of the scheme at field level; further these Gurus can be onboarded as Master Trainers.

To fuel further growth, collaborative efforts will be made to engage with skill training institutions like NIESBUD, ITIs, PMKK, PMKVY, UGC, CIPET and other centres to nurture the structured and outcome-driven training framework in India.

Felicitating PM Vishwakarma Gurus, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship said, “It was great listeningto the  experiences of PM Vishwakarma Gurus. I express my gratitude to all the Vishwakarmaswho thanked our Hon’ble Prime Minister in writing.Each artisan and sculptor in Odisha is a Vishwakarma. Their creation is unique. We are going to focus on creating awareness and connect more of such artisans.”

There have been more than 17 lakh registrations on the PM Vishwakarma portal so far. The analysis of the applications received so far on the PM Vishwakarma portal underscores that the demand for skill training in the top 5 trades makes 80% of the application count.The top 5 trades in terms of applications in Odisha are- Mason, Tailor, Carpenter, Basket Maker/Basket Waver (Mat maker/ Coir Weaver/ Broom maker) and Potter. The ministry will also leverage the regionwide reach, and community expertise of CSCs to enhance registrations of trainers at regional level, while simultaneously preserve the traditional craft and promote them in contemporary contexts.

The financial outlay from FY 2023-2024 to FY 2027-28 is ₹13,000 crore.The scheme aims to enhance the accessibility and quality of products and services offered by traditional artisans and craftsmen. The scheme offers collateral-free enterprise development loans of ₹1 lakh (first tranche to be repaid in 18 months) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche to be repaid in 30 months). A concessional rate of interest of 5% will be charged from the beneficiary, with interest subvention cap of 8% to be paid by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the Central government.

As a strategic step towards implementation of the PM Vishwakarma scheme, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) also announced the commencement of the Training of Master Trainers & Assessors Program under PM Vishwakarma scheme, to empower artisans and craftsmen community in identified trades. The Master Trainers Training Programme aims to equip these master trainers with modern technology skills and entrepreneurial knowledge. Participants will receive training on entrepreneurial competencies, business plan preparation, the government support ecosystem, financial literacy, digital and social media marketing, branding, and marketing. Additionally, the master trainers will be provided with a modern tool kit to enhance their skills and adapt to contemporary practices.

Indian artisans have played a vital role in India’s economy. From the intricate designs of handwoven textiles that adorn our clothing to the beautifully crafted pottery that holds our meals, artisans leave their indelible mark on our everyday existence. Odisha has also been known as Utkala during the ancient and medieval times– the land of excellence in art and craft.