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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend an event in Maharashtra's Wardha marking the first anniversary of the 'PM Vishwakarma' scheme on Friday (September 20). He will lay the foundation stone of a textile park that will come up in Amravati. During the programme, PM Modi will release certificates and loans to the beneficiaries of this scheme.
The scheme was launched on September 17, 2023, to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools. The PM will distribute credit under the scheme to 18 beneficiaries under 18 trades. The scheme offers collateral-free enterprise development loans of ₹1 lakh (first tranche for 18 months repayment) and ₹2 lakh (second tranche for 30 months repayment).
A concessional rate of interest of 5% will be charged from the beneficiary with an interest subvention cap of 8% to be paid by the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. The credit guarantee fees will be borne by the Centre. The scheme was approved with a financial outlay of Rs 13,000 crore for a period of five years (FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28).
Who can avail benefit of the scheme: Artisans or craftsmen working with hands and tools and engaged in one of the 18 family-based traditional trades are eligible to avail the benefits of the scheme. These trades include carpenter; boat maker; armourer; blacksmith; hammer and toolkit maker; locksmith; goldsmith; potter; sculptor (moortikar, stone carver), stone breaker; cobbler; mason; basket/mat/broom maker/coir weaver; doll & toy maker (traditional); barber; garland maker; washermen; tailor; and fishing net maker. Other events He will also release a commemorative stamp to mark one year of progress under the programme.
Modi will lay the foundation stone of a ‘PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park’ that will come up in Amravati. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will develope the 1,000-acre park. The Centre has approved seven PM MITRA Parks for the textile industry.
PM MITRA Parks are a major step forward in realising the vision of making India a global hub for textile manufacturing and exports. It will help in creating world-class industrial infrastructure that would attract large-scale investment including foreign direct investment (FDI) and encourage innovation and job creation within the sector, the release said. PM Modi will also launch the ‘Acharya Chanakya Skill Development Centre’ scheme of the Maharashtra government, it said.
The PM will also launch ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Women Startup Scheme’, under which early-stage support will be given to women-led startups in Maharashtra. Under the scheme, financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh will be provided and 25% of the total provisions under this scheme will be reserved for women from backward classes and economically weaker sections as specified by the government. It will help women-led startups become self-reliant and independent.
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