New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the government is working in skilling and creating job opportunities for crores of youth through ‘Skill India Mission and Kaushal Rozgar Kendra’ and emphasized upon the need for a specific and targeted approach for their development.
Addressing a Post Budget Webinar on the subject of ‘PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman’ The Prime Minister said, PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana is a result of this thinking.
Explaining the need for the scheme and the rationale of the name ‘Vishwakarma’, the Prime Minister “skilled craftsmen are symbols of the true spirit of self-reliant India and our government considers such people as Vishwakarma of new India.”
“Small artisans play an important role in the production of local crafts. PM Vishwakarma Yojana focuses on empowering them”, the Prime Minister said.
He underlined that this working class have conserved their craft of using traditional methods for centuries and they are making a mark with their extraordinary skills and unique creations.
The Prime Minister said while a few sectors’ artisans received some attention, many classes of artisans such as carpenters, ironsmiths, sculptors, masons and many others that are an integral part of society have been adapting to the changing times to fulfill the needs of the society that were ignored.
He informed that skilled craftsmen were contributing in their own ways towards exports in ancient India. He lamented that this skilled workforce was neglected for a long time and their work was considered non-significant during the long years of slavery.
“Even after India’s independence, there was no intervention from the government to work for their betterment and as a result, many traditional ways of skill and craftsmanship were abandoned by the families so that they could make a living elsewhere” PM said.
He explained that PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana is initiated especially for them where the central focus remains on those skilled craftsmen from villages and towns who create a living by working with their own hands.
Referring to Gandhi ji’s concept of Gram Swaraj, the Prime Minister highlighted the role of these professions in village life along with agriculture.
“Empowering every section of the village for its development is essential for India’s development journey”, he said.
The Prime Minister said similar to the benefit to street vendors through the PM SVANidhi scheme, PM
Vishwakarma Yojana will benefit the artisans. The Prime Minister stressed the need to reorient the skill infrastructure system according to the needs of Vishwakarma.
Mentioning the continued attraction of hand-made products, the Prime Minister said that the government will provide holistic institutional support to every Vishwakarma of the country.
“This will ensure easy loans, skilling, technical support, digital empowerment, brand promotion, marketing and raw material. “The objective of the scheme is to develop traditional artisans and craftsmen while preserving their rich tradition”, he said.
“Our aim is that Vishwakarmas of today can become entrepreneurs of tomorrow. For this, sustainability is essential in their business model”, The Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the partnership with the private sector will be further strengthened through PM-Vishwakarma so that the innovation power and business acumen of the private sector can be maximized.
He emphasized that the government is trying to reach the people in the remote parts of the country and many of them are getting the benefits of the government schemes for the first time.
