Bengaluru Rural
Member of Parliament Dr. K. Sudhakar urged all eligible traditional artisans and skilled youth in the district to take full advantage of the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana and build self-reliant livelihoods. He was speaking at an awareness programme on the scheme held at the Zilla Panchayat Hall on Monday.
Dr. Sudhakar said the ambitious scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to support traditional artisans and promote local crafts and skills. The initiative covers 18 categories of artisans including weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths, potters, cobblers, tailors, barbers, washermen, basket makers, sculptors, and toy makers, among others.
Under the Vishwakarma Scheme, eligible beneficiaries can avail of loans up to ₹1 lakh in the first installment and ₹2 lakh in the second, at a concessional 5% interest rate. A total of ₹13,000 crore has been allocated by the Union Government to implement the programme nationwide.
Highlighting the impact of the scheme, Dr. Sudhakar noted that so far, training has been provided to artisans from 18 different trades, and loans amounting to ₹1,190 crore have been disbursed to around 1.49 lakh beneficiaries to help them expand their businesses.
The event was attended by MSME Joint Director Devaraj K., Zilla Panchayat Deputy Secretary Shivakumar, Skill Development Officer Jagannath, Lead Bank Manager Ramangi, and several officials and beneficiaries.
