Menu
Economy

➔ PM Vishwakarma Scheme Strengthening Traditional Artisans & Craftspeople (UPSC/RAS/PSI)

Read in:
  • Nodal Ministry- Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) 
  • Scheme Type & Outlay- Central Sector Scheme; ₹13,000 crore for FY 2023–24 to FY 2027–28 (5 years)

Institutional Architecture

  1. The Guiding Triad- Built on the three philosophical pillars of Samman (Respect/Recognition), Samarthya (Capability through training and modern tools), and Samriddhi (Prosperity via credit and market access).
  2. Nurturing Guru-Shishya Parampara- Formulated to sustain the ancestral transmission of artisanal skills, preserving informal, family-based craft traditions while upgrading them for modern commercial markets.
  3. Coverage of 18 Traditional Trades- Encompasses 18 manual craft occupations, including Carpenters, Boat Makers, Armourers, Metalsmiths, Tool Kit Makers, Locksmiths, Goldsmiths, Potters, Sculptors/Stone Breakers, Cobblers/Shoesmiths, Masons, Basket/Mat/Broom/Coir Weavers, Doll & Toy Makers, Barbers, Garland Makers, Washermen, Tailors, and Fishing Net Makers.
  4. Registration & Single Point Ingress- Exclusively executed digitally via Common Service Centres (CSCs) with biometric authentication.
  5. Three-Tier Verification Architecture- Follows a decentralized screening ladder- (1) Field verification at Gram Panchayat or Urban Local Body (ULB) level, (2) Vetting and recommendation by District Implementation Committees (DIC), and (3) Final approval by the Screening Committee.
  6. Formalization via Udyam Assist Platform- Onboards informal artisan enterprises onto the Udyam Assist Platform, granting them an official Udyam Registration Number to integrate them into the formal MSME ecosystem.

Multi-Stage Skill Upgradation & Modern Toolkits

  1. Diagnostic Skill Assessment- Initial evaluation conducted to identify individual craftsmanship proficiencies and knowledge gaps in modern design and materials.
  2. Two-Tier Structured Training-

a.   Basic Training- Spans 5–7 days (40 hours) covering foundational modern tool handling and basic digital literacy.

b.   Advanced Training- Spans 15 days or more (120 hours) focusing on specialized design techniques, entrepreneurial skills, and market-ready finishing.

  1. Daily Training Stipend- Trainees are paid a financial wage-compensation stipend of ₹500 per day during training durations.
  2. Modern Toolkit Incentive- Eligible artisans who complete basic training receive a grant incentive of up to ₹15,000 to acquire modern, high-precision tools.
  3. Training in Frontier Tools- Over 12,000 artisans have been trained in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for branding, product visualization, custom packaging, and digital marketing.
  4. Packaging Interventions- Conducted specialized workshops in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) across six cities, training 1,500 craftspeople on transit-safe and export-grade packaging standards.

 Concessional Credit Architecture & Digital Enablement

  1. Collateral-Free Enterprise Loans- Disburses up to ₹3 lakh in collateral-free credit across two distinct performance-linked tranches.
  2. Tranche Distribution Structure-
    1. First Tranche- Up to ₹1 lakh with an 18-month tenure, accessible immediately upon completing Basic Training.
    2. Second Tranche- Up to ₹2 lakh with a 30-month tenure, open to beneficiaries maintaining clean repayment records and adopting digital payments or completing Advanced Training.
  3. Interest Subvention Framework- Beneficiaries pay a fixed concessional interest rate of 5%, with the Government absorbing an interest subvention of up to 8% directly to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs).
  4. Digital Transaction Cashbacks- Credits ₹1 per digital transaction (incoming or outgoing payout/receipt via bank account) for up to 100 transactions per month, incentivizing formal banking adoption.
  5. Eligibility & Family Norms- Open to self-employed unorganized artisans aged, strictly restricted to one member per household (husband, wife, and unmarried children); excludes government employees and previous default accounts.
  6. Micro-Credit Convergence- Beneficiaries of PM SVANidhi or Mudra schemes who have completely paid off their previous credit facilities are fully eligible to access PM Vishwakarma credit.

Market Access, Physical Outlets & E-Commerce Integration

  1. Public Procurement Integration- Onboarded >30,000 artisans across major digital storefronts, including Government e-Marketplace (GeM), ONDC, Amazon (via a dedicated MoMSME partnership), Meesho, and Fabindia.
  2. National Trade Fairs & Dilli Haat Milestone- The inaugural PM Vishwakarma National Exhibition-cum-Trade Fair (Jan 2026 at Dilli Haat) saw 117 artisans generate over ₹2 crore in direct sales with a footfall exceeding 60,000 visitors, including foreign diplomats.
  3. Inclusive Rail & Airport Retail-
    1. Railways- Leveraged the One Station One Product (OSOP) scheme to grant dedicated retail kiosks to 42+ Divyangjan beneficiaries across 14 States/UTs.
    2. Aviation- Collaborated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the AVSAR scheme to install retail artisan stalls inside airport terminals (such as Bhopal and Chandigarh).
  4. Tribal Artisan Synergy- Collaborated with TRIFED to organize Tribal Artisan Melas, directly linking tribal artisans to premium institutional channels such as Tribes India.
  5. Hospitality Partnerships- Secured high-visibility display counters inside luxury star-category hotels and heritage resorts (Taj, Radisson, Adbuz) across Bihar, Gujarat, Goa, HP, Odisha, and Puducherry.
  6. Grassroots Awareness Campaigns- Organized over 1,500 camps, 82 trade fairs, 37 State exhibitions, and more than 50 street flash-mobs across India to expand market outreach.

Quantitative Milestones & Impact Evaluation

  1. Registration & Skill Numbers- Reached its cap of 30 lakh registered artisans; over 24.37 lakh artisans completed basic training, and 18.16 lakh beneficiaries received modern toolkits.
  2. Institutional Credit Disbursal- Sanctioned 6.19 lakh collateral-free enterprise loans totaling approximately ₹5,316 crore to finance operational expansion and raw materials.
  3. Digital Adoption Footprint- Disbursed ₹42.62 crore in digital incentive cashbacks across 8.11 lakh participating artisans.
  4. IIM Mumbai Concurrent Evaluation- An independent assessment of 11,591 beneficiaries revealed that 93% reported a moderate-to-significant rise in monthly income following formal training.
  5. Field Evidence Nagaland (Weaving)- Smt. Villi, a basket weaver from Zunheboto, availed a ₹1 lakh loan to procure raw material bulk volumes, increasing her monthly income by 40% to ₹15,000.
  6. Field Evidence  Uttarakhand (Heritage Crafts)- Mr. Darshan Lal, a traditional woodcarver from Chamoli connected to the historic architectural lineage of the Badrinath temple, gained national market reach through the PM Vishwakarma Haat in Delhi.