CHENNAI: The DMK government, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, has rejected the Prime Minister’s Vishwakarma Scheme in its current form and informed the Government of India that Tamil Nadu will devise a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, free from caste-based discrimination.
In a letter addressed to Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi, the Chief Minister stated that Tamil Nadu was compelled to formulate its scheme as the Centre had ignored the modifications suggested by the State to the PM Vishwakarma Scheme.
The CM had previously written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this matter on 4 January.
Highlighting the concerns, Stalin recalled that the Tamil Nadu government had formed a committee to analyse the scheme, as it was perceived to reinforce caste-based vocations.
After extensive study, the committee recommended significant changes to make the scheme more equitable, which were communicated to the Prime Minister.
The proposed changes included removing the mandatory requirement for an applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in a family-based trade. Instead, eligibility should extend to any individual practising the listed occupations.
The second suggestion was to increase the minimum age criterion to 35 years, allowing only those who made an informed decision to continue their family trade to benefit from the scheme.
A third recommendation suggested that the responsibility for verifying beneficiaries in rural areas should rest with the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) of the revenue department, rather than the head of the village panchayat.
The Chief Minister noted that the Union Minister of MSME, in a reply dated 15 March, had failed to address these proposed modifications.
Consequently, he stated, “The Tamil Nadu government 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 Tamil Nadu government has decided to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste.”
The State’s initiative will provide holistic support to artisans across Tamil Nadu, regardless of caste or family occupation, the CM added.
“Such a scheme will serve to provide them with financial assistance, training, and all required support for their development, more comprehensively and inclusively,” he said.