India News | 'PM Vishwakarma' Scheme to Be Game Changer for Artisans: Union Minister
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Union Minister Nisith Pramanik on Sunday said 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme will be a game changer for skilled artisans and will empower them with credit, training and digital support.
Siliguri, Sep 17 (PTI) Union Minister Nisith Pramanik on Sunday said 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme will be a game changer for skilled artisans and will empower them with credit, training and digital support.
He attended a programme here, which was organised on the occasion of the launch of the central scheme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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PM Modi launched the 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme on the occasion of 'Vishwakarma Jayanti', under which traditional craftsmen and artisans will be provided collateral-free loans at a minimal interest rate.
With a financial outlay of Rs 13,000 crore for a period of five years, the scheme will benefit about 30 lakh families of traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers.
"Today is a historic day as Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji will launch the #PMVishwakarma scheme - a game changer for our skilled artisans. This initiative will empower them with credit, training & digital support," Pramanik, the minister of state for home and youth affairs and sports, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sharing images of PM Modi's programme, Pramanik said "the true strength of our cultural heritage is our artisans. #PMVishwakarma Yojana empowers them with accessible credit, paving the way for exceptional products and services."
Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, Siliguri BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh and several district officials were present at the event here along with SSB IG.
Those who applied for loans under the central scheme were present at the programme.
The scheme offers collateral-free enterprise development loans of Rs 1 lakh (first tranche for 18 months repayment) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche for 30 months repayment).
A concessional rate of interest of 5 per cent will be charged from the beneficiary with an interest subvention cap of 8 per cent to be paid by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.
The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the central government.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)