Vishwakarma scheme will augment efforts of small artisans: PM Modi

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the Vishwakarma Yojana will augment efforts of small artisans.

Earlier in the day, Union cabinet had cleared the Rs 13,000 crore for PM Vishwakarma Yojana, under which artisans engaged in 18 traditional trades like blacksmiths, cobblers, ironsmiths and fishermen among others, will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID cards.

On Tuesday, Modi had announced this scheme during his Independence Day speech from Red Fort.

The Prime Minister made the observation in reaction to MSME minister Narayan Rane's tweet, where the minister said that the new scheme will benefit 30 lakh families of artisans.

"Embracing our nation’s skills and cultural diversity, the PM Vishwakarma initiative will celebrate our traditional artisans and craftspeople, both from rural and urban India. Honouring the timeless Guru-Shishya tradition, it will augment the efforts of our Vishwakarmas, connecting them to modern value chains and preserving their invaluable skills for generations to come," Modi said in response to Rane's comments on X (formerly Twitter).

Under the scheme, credit support of up to Rs 1 lakh (first tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) with a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent will be given.

The scheme will further provide skill upgradation, toolkit incentive, as well as incentive for digital transactions and marketing support to artisans.

The scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Diwas on September 17, which incidentally is also Modi's birthday.

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