In stark contrast to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin’s criticism of the central government’s ‘PM Vishwakarma Yojana’—which he labeled as caste-based and contradictory to social justice principles—the MSME Minister, T M Anbarasan, has announced the launch of the “Kalaignar Handicrafts Scheme” (Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam) for Tamil Nadu. This new initiative appears to be an attempt by the DMK to rebrand the central government’s scheme under its own banner.
In a statement, the DMK Minister emphasized that the Kalaignar Craft Scheme aims to benefit people from various walks of life engaged in 25 handicrafts and industries, not limited to family-owned businesses. The scheme will offer loan assistance, skill development, and entrepreneurship training to help establish new businesses or modernize existing ones.
Under the Kalaignar Craft Scheme, eligible individuals can receive loans up to ₹3 lakh, with a 25% subsidy (up to ₹50,000) and an interest subsidy of up to 100%. The scheme is designed to provide comprehensive support for business growth, and applicants must be at least 35 years old to qualify.
The scheme covers 25 industries, including woodworking, boat making, metalworking, lock making, sculpture, stone carving, glassworking, pottery, basket weaving, rope making, broom production, toy making, flower arrangement, fishing net making, tailoring, jewellery making, hairdressing, beauty arts, cloth dyeing, musical instrument crafting, textile printing, and other traditional crafts. The program aims to support at least 10,000 artisans annually.
To apply for the scheme, interested individuals must visit the website ‘www.msmeonline.tn.gov.in. ‘ Applications will be reviewed by a committee led by the General Manager of the District Industrial Centre before being recommended to banks for approval.
மத்திய அரசு எதை கொண்டு வந்தாலும் அதை எதிர்க்க வேண்டும் என்ற நோக்கத்தில் செயல்படும் திறனற்ற திமுக அரசு, மத்திய அரசு கொண்டு வந்த விஸ்வகர்மா திட்டத்தை எதிர்த்து தடை செய்தது.
பின்னர், மக்கள் மத்தியில் கடுமையான எதிர்ப்பு கிளம்பிய பிறகு, மத்திய அரசின் திட்டத்தை கருணாநிதி பெயரில்… pic.twitter.com/SnLYKTbNJq
— Selva Kumar (@Selvakumar_IN) December 10, 2024
PM Vishwakarma Scheme
PM Vishwakarma Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched on 17th September 2023 by the Prime Minister to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools. The Scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades, viz. Carpenter (Suthar/Badhai), Boat Maker, Armourer, Blacksmith (Lohar), Hammer and Tool Kit Maker, Locksmith, Goldsmith (Sonar), Potter (Kumhaar), Sculptor (Moortikar, stone carver), Stone breaker, Cobbler (Charmkar)/ Shoesmith/Footwear artisan, Mason (Rajmistri), Basket/Mat/Broom Maker/Coir Weaver, Doll & Toy Maker (Traditional), Barber (Naai), Garland maker (Malakaar), Washerman (Dhobi), Tailor (Darzi) and Fishing Net Maker.
Benefits
The Scheme envisages provisioning of the following benefits to the artisans and craftspersons:
- Recognition: Recognition of artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card.
- Skill Upgradation: Basic Training of 5-7 days and Advanced Training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of ₹500 per day.
- Toolkit Incentive: An incentive of up to ₹15,000 in the form of e-vouchers at the beginning of Basic Skill Training.
- Credit Support: Collateral-free ‘Enterprise Development Loans’ of up to ₹3 lakh in two tranches of ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh with tenures of 18 months and 30 months, respectively, at a concessional rate of interest fixed at 5%, with Government of India subvention to the extent of 8%. Beneficiaries who have completed Basic Training will be eligible for the first tranche of credit support of up to ₹1 lakh. The second loan tranche will be available to beneficiaries who have availed of the 1st tranche and maintained a standard loan account, have adopted digital transactions in their business, or have undergone Advanced Training.
- Incentive for Digital Transaction: ₹1 per digital transaction, up to 100 transactions monthly, will be credited to the beneficiary’s account for each digital pay-out or receipt.
- Marketing Support: Marketing support will be provided to the artisans and craftspeople through quality certification, branding, onboarding on e-commerce platforms such as GeM, advertising, publicity and other marketing activities to improve linkage to the value chain.
Through the Vishwakarma Yojana, the government also wants to help women and people from groups that don’t often get enough support. This includes people from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), those with disabilities, transgender individuals, as well as people living in areas like the North Eastern states, islands, and hilly regions.
Term of Repayment (In months)
1st Tranche loan amount, which can be up to ₹1,00,000, has to be repaid in 18 months
2nd Tranche loan amount, which can be up to ₹2,00,000, has to be repaid in 30 months
In this context, Tamil Nadu BJP state secretary SG Suryah has ridiculed state fact-checker Iyan Karthikeyan, who had previously spread misinformation about the PM Vishwakarma scheme by peddling the DMK’s version of the narratives with distorted facts.
SG Suryah mockingly questioned, “If the BJP government at the centre brings the ‘Vishwakarma scheme’ to improve the livelihood of artisans, you will oppose it. If the DMK government brings the ‘Kalaignar Handicrafts Scheme’ to promote artisans as entrepreneurs, what will it be called? Truth-seeking sir, Mr. Karthikeyan(@Iyankarthikeyan), what is this?”
மத்திய பா.ஜ.க அரசு கைவினை கலைஞர்களை, அவர்கள் வாழ்வாதாரத்தை உயர்த்த 'விஸ்வகர்மா திட்டம்' கொண்டு வந்தால் அதற்கு எதிர்ப்பு.
கைவினை கலைஞர்களை தொழில் முனைவோர்களாக உயர்த்த தி.மு.க அரசு 'கலைஞர் கைவினை திட்டம்' கொண்டு வந்தால் அதற்கு பெயர் என்ன?
உண்மை கண்டறியும் ஐயா திரு.ஐயா… https://t.co/7XBJdGSPIX pic.twitter.com/1d1FGLmfpK
— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) December 9, 2024
The DMK government’s approach exemplifies glaring hypocrisy. On one hand, Chief Minister MK Stalin dismisses the central government’s PM Vishwakarma Yojana as caste-based and contradictory to social justice, while on the other, the DMK’s Kalaignar Handicrafts Scheme essentially mirrors the central scheme, albeit under a different name with minor differences in eligibility conditions.
By rebranding similar initiatives, the DMK seems to be undermining its own criticisms of the central government, exposing an alleged politically motivated strategy rather than a genuine commitment to artisans’ welfare. This duplicity not only confuses the public but also highlights the DMK’s tendency to prioritize optics over policy consistency. If promoting artisans’ livelihoods is a noble cause under one banner, it cannot simultaneously be dismissed as casteist under another.
(With inputs from Hindu Tamil)
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