Not PM Vishwakarma, TN to develop its own inclusive scheme: CM
In his letter to Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Stalin referred to his letter dated January 4 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting modification to the scheme and said, “I have received a reply from the Union MSME Minister (D.O.1/16/2024-PM Vishwakarma-VIPRef.) dated March 15, 2024, with no mention of the modifications suggested above.”
Chief Minister M K Stalin
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government would not implement the Prime Minister’s Vishwakarma scheme in its present form, but instead develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste, Chief Minister MK Stalin informed the Union government on Wednesday.
In his letter to Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Stalin referred to his letter dated January 4 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting modification to the scheme and said, “I have received a reply from the Union MSME Minister (D.O.1/16/2024-PM Vishwakarma-VIPRef.) dated March 15, 2024, with no mention of the modifications suggested above.”
Citing the recommendations of the committee constituted by his government to examine modifications to the scheme, Chief Minister Stalin said, “The government of Tamil Nadu will, therefore, not be taking forward the implementation of the PM Vishwakarma scheme in its present form. However, to empower artisans in Tamil Nadu under the overall principle of social justice, the government of Tamil Nadu has decided to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste.”
Stating that the scheme designed by Tamil Nadu would provide holistic support to all artisans in the State irrespective of caste or family occupations, the CM said such a scheme would serve to provide them with financial assistance, training and all required support for their development, more comprehensively and inclusively.
The State constituted a committee, which said the mandatory requirement for the applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in a family-based traditional trade should be removed. Instead, it recommended any person pursuing any of the occupations listed in the guidelines should be eligible for assistance under the scheme.
The committee also proposed increasing the minimum age criterion to 35 years so that only those who have made an informed choice to continue their family trade can avail of benefits under this scheme. Vesting the onus of verification of the beneficiaries in rural areas with the VAOs instead of the head of the gram panchayat was another recommendation of the committee.