Jammu : Jammu district has registered around 10 thousand artisans under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, a flagship initiative of the Government to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople across 18 trades and 28 sub-trades.
Since the launch of the scheme in the district, a total of 9,819 registrations have been completed and all 2,786 cases received at the DM Jammu office have been verified and sent for UT-level verification.
The verification process involves the participation of all 305 panchayats, 7 Urban Local Bodies, Jammu Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board Jammu of the district. The applications were first verified by the Sarpanch or Councillor at the Panchayat or ULB level and then by the office of the District Magistrate for subsequent verification.
The registered artisans will be imparted skill training by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), which will enable them to set up their own enterprises.
The training would involve Basic Training of 5-7 days and Advanced Training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of Rs. 500 per day and toolkit incentive of upto Rs 15 thousand in the form of e-vouchers at the beginning of Basic Skill Training. A certificate from the MSME will also be provided after successful completion of the training.
The scheme aims to enhance the accessibility and quality of products and services offered by traditional artisans and craftsmen. The scheme offers collateral-free enterprise development loans of ₹1 lakh (first tranche to be repaid in 18 months) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche to be repaid in 30 months). A concessional rate of interest of 5% will be charged from the beneficiary, with interest subvention cap of 8% to be paid by the MSME. The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the central government.
