PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

The PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) scheme has been launched to promote skills development, financial assistance, and market linkages for upliftment of traditional artisans and craftsmen. It supports livelihoods, heritage crafts, and gives artisans entry into the mainstream economy with entrepreneurship and sustainable economic developments across India’s skilled workforce.

About the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

The PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) scheme is a government initiative striving to support traditional artisans and craftsmen across India.
With an emphasis on skill development, financial assistance, and market integration, the scheme tries to empower those artisans who work in ancestral trades.
The scheme focuses on skill upgradation, access to updated tooling, and assistance through credit support and subsidy.
In addition, it also focuses on branding, digital transactions, and market linkages to enhance traditional crafts’ visibility and profitability.
PM-VIKAS serves the dual purpose of preserving the rich artisanal heritage of India while creating an environment for the self-reliance and entrepreneurship of skilled workers.
When artisans are integrated into the mainstream economy, the scheme then provides opportunities for livelihood, creates economic growth avenues, and ensures the sustenance of traditional craft.
It helps foster inclusive development by empowering skilled artisans to compete in domestic and international markets, thereby contributing to the realization of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Features of the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

Skill Development & Training

Provides artisans and craftspersons with training and upskilling programs.
Trains in contemporary methods with their traditional skills for higher productivity and quality.
Basic and advanced training support helps establish sustainable livelihoods.

Financial Assistance & Credit Support

Money grants, including concessional loans, are provided to artisans for business expansion.
Easy access to credit is provided through banks and financial institutions at minimum interest rates.
Include subsidies and grants to buy tools and raw materials.

Market Linkages & Branding

Deals with promotion of artisans by connecting national and international markets.
Encourages artisans to participate in trade fairs, exhibitions, and online markets.
Helps in the branding and marketing of traditional handicrafts and artisanal products.

Infrastructure & Technology Support

Provides modern toolkits and workspaces for better work quality.
Introduces digital platforms to widen the target audience of artisans.

Social Security & Welfare Benefits

Provides for the insurance and pension schemes for artisans and their families.
Promotes self-reliance and self-sustaining income generation.

Objectives of the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

PM Vishwakarma is a novel scheme that aims at end-to-end holistic support of traditional artisans and craftspeople in scaling up their conventional products and services.

The objectives of the scheme are as follows:

To enable artisans and crafts persons to be recognized as Vishwakars, thereby rendering them eligible to avail all the benefits under the Scheme.
To give skill upgradation, thus honing their skills and making available to them relevant, suitable training opportunities.
To give them support for better and modern tools in order to increase their capability, productivity, and quality of products.
To give the intended beneficiaries access to collateral-free credit and to bring down its cost by way of interest subvention.
To grant rewards for digital transactions aimed at empowering Vishwakarmas digitally.
To facilitate brand promotion and market linkages for them so that they can access new growth opportunities.

Benefits of the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

Recognition
- Recognition as Vishwakarma through Certificate and ID Card
Skilling
- Skill Verification followed by 5-7 days (40 hours) Basic Training
- Interested candidates can also enroll for 15 days (120 hours) Advanced Training
- Training Stipend: Rs 500 per day
Toolkit Incentive: Rs 15,000 grant
Credit Support:
- Collateral free Enterprise Development Loans: Rs 1 lakh (First Tranche for 18 months repayment) & Rs 2 lakh (Second Tranche for 30 months repayment)
- Concessional Rate of Interest: 5% to be charged from the beneficiary with Interest Subvention cap of 8% to be paid by MOMSME
- Credit Guarantee fees to be bone by Gol
Incentive for Digital Transaction:
- Re 1 per transaction for maximum upto100 transactions (monthly)
Marketing Support: National
- Committee for Marketing (NCM) will provide services such as Quality Certification, Branding & Promotion, E-commerce linkage, Trade Fairs advertising, publicity and other marketing activities.

Lacunae of the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS)

The PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) is a very significant scheme to support traditional artisans and craftsmen. But some challenges and gaps need to be plugged for its smooth implementation and impact.
One major issue is limited awareness and outreach. This has contributed to the situation whereby a lot of artisans, especially those in rural and remote areas, hardly have an idea of the benefits under the scheme.
Unless there are awareness campaigns targeted specifically at such entities, there may be a large percentage of them who may not benefit from the scheme.
Another challenge is the access to finance. Although there is financial assistance under the scheme, some artisans lack the qualifying documents for applying for such loans and grants, while some others cannot even access banking services from where they would apply for such loans. All these barriers may hamper many good potential beneficiaries.
Establishing market linkages and generating demand are further concerns. Training and financial support alone may never suffice to connect artisans with bigger markets, both online and offline.
Without sustainable demand, their products will hardly stand a chance against mass-market goods.

PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM-VIKAS) scheme for UPSC CSE Prelims

Objective – To support traditional artisans and craftsmen in upgrading their skills, obtaining financial assistance, and accessing markets.
Target Beneficiaries – Artisans engaged in the production of traditional crafts like carpentry, blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, etc.
Skill Development – Provides training and skill upgradation programs to develop skills and improve productivity.
Financial Assistance – Credits with concessional interest rates are provided to a business for expansion.
Market Linkages – Supports artisans to access national and international markets through branded platforms and e-commerce integration.
Technology Integration – Facilitates technology incubation and encourages the use of modern tools and techniques to enhance efficiency.
Government Support – The scheme focuses on sustainability and is being implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).
Employment Generation – To enhance the growth of self-employment and entrepreneurship amongst traditional artisans.
Heritage Preservation – To preserve and promote the rich heritage of handmade crafts and artisanal skills of India.
As a Part of a Larger Initiative – The scheme is aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Skill India missions to promote local artisans.

Way forward

To make PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman stronger, it is important to expand training programs, provide market access, and complement all this with digital tools. By strengthening financial support, fostering innovation, and promoting the global reach of these companies, artisans will be able to prosper, thereby preserving traditional crafts while simultaneously contributing to economic growth and self-reliance in the handicraft sector of India.

Conclusion

By refining artisan skills and facilitating monetary aid and market linkages, the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman infuses new life into tradition. Thus the scheme sustains livelihoods and economically integrates the people; preserving heritage crafts also creates avenues for entrepreneurship and ensures the sustenance of a skilled workforce in India for generations to come.