How Uttar Pradesh is supporting traditional artisans with training, modern tools

Uttar Pradesh's Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana supports traditional artisans by providing six days of free skill training and modern toolkits linked to their trades. The scheme covers occupations including carpenters, tailors, potters, blacksmiths, cobblers, masons and handicraft workers.

In Short

• Eligible artisans receive six days of free training to sharpen trade skills
• The scheme covers rural and urban workers across several traditional occupations
• Successful trainees get advanced toolkits suited to their specific trades and practices

The Uttar Pradesh government's Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana (VSSY) aims to support traditional artisans and craftspeople by strengthening their skills and providing modern tools to improve their working practices.

The scheme covers artisans in both rural and urban areas who are engaged in traditional trades such as carpentry, tailoring, basket weaving, barbering, goldsmithing, blacksmithing, pottery, confectionery, cobbling, masonry and handicrafts.

Under the scheme, eligible artisans are provided six days of free skill training. The training is intended to help beneficiaries improve their traditional skills and adopt better techniques relevant to their trades.

The scheme seeks to combine traditional knowledge, often passed down through generations, with formal training and improved working methods.

MODERN TOOLKITS AFTER TRAINING

Artisans who successfully complete the training are provided with advanced toolkits related to their respective trades.

According to the scheme documents, the toolkits are based on the latest technology available for the particular trade and are intended to help improve productivity and working practices. However, the scheme does not prescribe a single fixed monetary value for the toolkit across all occupations.

The support is primarily aimed at skill enhancement and providing better tools rather than directly guaranteeing higher income or business growth.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE SCHEME?

According to the UP MSME 1-Connect scheme document, an applicant must:

• Be a native of Uttar Pradesh.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be engaged in one of the specified traditional occupations.
• Not have received a toolkit under another scheme during the preceding two years.
• Meet the scheme's family eligibility condition, under which only one member of a family, defined as husband or wife, can receive the benefit.

The scheme does not prescribe any specific educational qualification.

Notably, caste is not the sole basis for eligibility. People outside traditional artisan communities can also qualify if they are engaged in the relevant traditional occupation. Such applicants may be required to submit a certificate from the Gram Pradhan, Nagar Panchayat chairman or concerned ward member establishing their association with the traditional trade.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF VSSY?

The Uttar Pradesh ODOP portal lists VSSY among the state's MSME schemes and describes its objective as strengthening the livelihoods of traditional artisans and improving their standard of living.

The scheme focuses specifically on training and modern toolkit support for eligible artisans. While these measures can help improve skills, tools and productivity, VSSY itself does not guarantee increased income, business expansion or market access for every beneficiary.

Other government programmes cater to areas such as finance, market access and enterprise development, while VSSY provides traditional artisans with a state-level support mechanism focused on upgrading their skills and tools.

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