Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on November 28 wrote to Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, informing him that the Prime Minister Vishwakarma scheme will not be implemented in the state in its present form and urged for its modification.
What is PM Vishwakarma scheme?
On September 17, 2023, PM Modi launched the Vishwakarma Scheme. The scheme ensures recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificates and ID cards, skill upgrading through skill verification, basic skilling, advanced skill training, entrepreneurial knowledge, toolkit incentives up to ₹15,000, credit support up to ₹3,00,000, and incentives for digital transactions.
What modifications has CM Stalin urged?
In a letter written to the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Tamil Nadu CM on Wednesday said the state has decided to formulate a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme based on social justice for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste.
The mandatory need for the applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in a family-based traditional trade to be removed. Instead, any person pursuing any of the occupations listed in the guidelines should be eligible for assistance under the scheme.
The minimum age criterion can be increased to 35 years so that only those who have made an informed choice to continue their family trade can avail of benefits under this scheme.
The onus of verification of the beneficiaries in rural areas beested with the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) from the Revenue Department instead of the head of the Gram Panchayat.
The CM further added that, “The Government of Tamil Nadu, will, therefore, not be taking forward the implementation of the PM Vishwakarma scheme in its present form. However, to empower artisans in Tamil Nadu under the overall principle of social justice, the Government of Tamil Nadu has decided to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste,” he added.
Reaction on CM Stalin not implementing PM Vishwakarma scheme
On Tamil Nadu CM’s statement that PM Vishwakarma scheme won’t be implemented in Tamil Nadu, BJP State Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy said, “It is a government scheme which clearly states that this particular Vishwakarma scheme is meant for the people who are in professions like goldsmiths, cobblers, tailoring, boat makers etc. There are 18 professions in this. They have to compete with the new technology and be equipped with the new instruments. They need financial and technical support to compete with corporates and get bigger gains in this industry…That is the reason the Vishwakarma scheme was floated. But unfortunately, the Tamil Nadu government, DMK, is trying to say that this is a caste-oriented scheme…It is misleading that the CM is intentionally trying to blame it as a caste-oriented scheme…”
AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan told ANI, “I think it’s high time. The incompetent Chief Minister MK Stalin tried to paint a picture of every opportunity that comes for the state. On one side BJP has not stated the merits of Vishwa karma, how it will benefit a state. On the other side, MK Stalin didn’t say what were the recommendations from the Tamil Nadu govt with respect to Vishwakarma. BJP and DMK are interested to paint a narrative that they are at loggerheads and the saviour of Tamil Nadu is MK Stalin. That’s what the image that DMK is desperately trying to build for which they don’t come out in open with more transparency… Tamil Nadu is the second largest economy in India, so there cannot be any other new schemes that can come in to uplift the poor because below the poverty line status is just less than 3% in Tamil Nadu…Every initiative need not be looked from the angle of cast and creed. These are all fake narratives by DMK which is costing Tamil Nadu”
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