Jammu, Jan 03: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri on Wednesday hailed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to start PM Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY), an initiative aimed at empowering and enhancing the skills of artisans and craftspeople from Jammu and Kashmir.
“This is how promises are kept and the lives of millions are transformed. PM Modi does what he says and now that this most beneficial central government scheme has taken off from J&K, many artisans and craftsmen are going to be benefited in a big way,” he said.
Suri said Jammu and Kashmir has become the first Union Territory (UT) to implement the PM Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY), wherein the craftspeople will be imparted training of five to seven days, advanced training of 15 days or more, a stipend of Rs 500 per day, and a free modern toolkit worth Rs 15,000 for trained Vishwakarmas. This will enhance the skills of craftspeople and other skilled workers, who will then be able to establish their own workstations or businesses, he said.
The BJP leader said once the artisans and craftspeople are trained, they can seek credit-based soft loans and marketing support to expand their businesses. This scheme, he added, is going to be quite beneficial for the artisans of Jammu and Kashmir, who are a considerable number. Several people who are into handicrafts, weaving and other such artisan works, can avail the benefits and set up their businesses after taking loans and toolkits by subscribing to this government-sponsored scheme.
Raman Suri said the BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working round the clock for all sections of society. “Right from white-collared jobs to businesses to professionals across the nation to skilled and unskilled labour, PM Modi has a set plan for everyone’s growth. He intends to make the nation one of the top three economies in coming years, and such schemes are there to empower professionals in a big manner, who ultimately will contribute to building a strong and economically self-reliant country – Bharat,” he said.
By initiating the PMVK scheme from Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister has once again established that the people of this region top his priority list. He intends to empower the craftsman community through self-employment, which is why this scheme has started from J&K. In the first phase, a batch of 30 artisans in the darzi craft will be trained at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Shopian, which was once infested with militancy.
