Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 13,000 crore PM Vishwakarma scheme that will benefit about 30 lakh traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, boat makers, locksmiths, potters, sculptors, cobblers, and barbers, reports PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement about the scheme in his Independence Day address on Tuesday.
"Under the PM Vishwakarma scheme, artisans and craftspeople will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificates, ID cards, credit support upto ₹ 1 lakh (in the first tranche) and ₹ 2 lakh (in the second tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent. The scheme will further provide skill upgradation, toolkit incentive, incentive for digital transactions, and marketing support," communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after the Cabinet meeting.
The loans will be provided at a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent. On Tuesday, the prime minister announced that the scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Jayanti on September 17.
Artisans and craftsmen will also be provided skill upgradation, tool kit incentive, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support, an official statement said.
"Under the scheme, there will be two types of skilling programmes -- Basic and Advanced and a stipend of Rs 500 per day will also be provided to beneficiaries while undergoing skills training," Ashwini Vaishnaw said while briefing the media on Cabinet decisions here.
They will also get a support of up to Rs 15,000 to buy modern tools, he added.
He said in the first year, five lakh families will be covered and a total of 30 lakh families will be covered over five years from FY24 to FY28.
"The scheme aims to strengthen and nurture the 'Guru-Shishya parampara' or family-based practice of traditional skills by artisans and craftsmen working with their hands and tools," the statement said.
The scheme also aims at improving the quality, as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftsmen and to ensure that Vishwakarmas are integrated with the domestic and global value chains, it added.
Initially, 18 traditional trades will be covered. These include carpenter (Suthar); boat maker; armourer; blacksmith; hammer and tool kit maker; locksmith; goldsmith; potter (Kumhaar); sculptor, stone breaker; cobbler; mason; basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver; doll and toy maker (traditional); barber; garland maker; washerman; tailor ; and fishing net maker.
In the meeting, the CCEA also greenlit the "PM-eBus Sewa" under which 10,000 e-buses will be added to the country's fleet and operations will be supported for 10 years, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, reports ndtv.com
"10,000 e-buses will be deployed in 169 cities and infrastructure will be upgraded in 181 cities under the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives," Mr Thakur said.
"The cabinet has approved the "PM-eBus Sewa" to augment city bus operations by 10,000 e-buses on a Private-Public Partnership model. The scheme would have an estimated cost of ₹ 57,613 crore, of which support of ₹ 20,000 crore will be provided by the central government. The scheme will support bus operations for 10 years," he added. The scheme will generate 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs through the deployment of around 10,000 buses in city bus operations, an official statement said.
The scheme has two segments - one to augment the city bus services and the other to develop infra under the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives which envisages green initiatives like bus priority, infrastructure, and multimodal interchange facilities among other things, the Centre said.
"Under the scheme, states/cities will be responsible for running the bus services and making payments to the bus operators. The central government will support these bus operations by providing a subsidy," the statement said.
The PM-eBus Sewa will boost e-mobility, the Centre said.
