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DMK govt launches its Vishwakarma scheme
The development comes after Stalin on November 27 wrote to the Union MSME minister Jitan Ram Manjhi informing him that Tamil Nadu will not implement the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in its present form as it was “discriminatory”.
Chennai: The DMK government on Wednesday termed the BJP led Union government’s Vishwakarma scheme as “casteist” and launched a similar scheme at the state level to support artisans in 25 sectors. The scheme has removed the caste bar, allowing any practising artisan to be eligible for applying for loans up to ₹3 lakh, an official said. The age-limit has also been increased to 35.
Tamil Nadu’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) department on Wednesday began accepting applications online for the Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam (KKT) named after chief minister MK Stalin’s father and late five-time chief minister M Karunanidhi.
“We have made the scheme caste neutral since the PM Vishwakarma scheme allowed only people involved in the trade associated with their community to enrol for it,” the official quoted above said. “Anyone belonging to any caste who is engaged in any trade can apply for the state sponsored scheme. Our criteria is that they should have been engaged in that specific trade for at least five years.”
On December 8, Stalin in a post on X said that the central scheme failed to align with the principles of social justice. “Instead, we will introduce a more inclusive scheme to empower all artisans, irrespective of caste or family occupation, ensuring holistic and equitable support,” Stalin had said. “As ideological inheritors of leaders who opposed ‘Kula Kalvi Thittam’ we cannot support schemes that perpetuate hereditary caste-based occupations under any guise.”
The development comes after Stalin on November 27 wrote to the Union MSME minister Jitan Ram Manjhi informing him that Tamil Nadu will not implement the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in its present form as it was “discriminatory”. The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government will develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans which does not discriminate based on caste, Stalin said.
The MSME ministry launched the PM Vishwakarma Yojana to provide training, technology, credit and market support to the traditional artisans and craftspeople. It covers 18 trades including carpentry, tailoring, and washing.
In January, Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the state’s request to modify the Vishwakarma scheme. “In light of the concerns raised that the scheme strengthens the system of caste-based vocation, the Government of Tamil Nadu had constituted a committee to study the scheme,” Stalin said in November. Following an analysis, the committee had recommended modifications to the scheme which Stalin had sent to Modi earlier.
It included removing the mandatory need for the applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in a family-based traditional trade and instead allow any person pursuing any of the occupations listed in the guidelines to be eligible for assistance under the scheme. They sought for the minimum age criterion to be increased 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. But Stalin said that he received no response on the changes that Tamil Nadu had sought.
The state received more than a 100 applications by the end of Wednesday, the state government official said. The state’s scheme will provide financial assistance, training and all required support based on the social justice model of the DMK, the government said. The trades that are covered include pottery, making of fishing boats, fishnets, carpentry, tailoring, washing, ironing.
The loan will be disbursed in two instalments which should be repaid in a period of over 60 months, a government order read. “A credit guarantee cover of up to 90% will be provided for loans sanctioned by banks under Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam, with a sum of ₹25 crore earmarked under the Tamil Nadu Credit Guarantee Scheme (TNCGS),” the order said.
