30 Lakh Beneficiaries Join PM Vishwakarma as Scheme Expands Artisan Support

The PM Vishwakarma scheme has achieved its target of registering 30 lakh beneficiaries within three years of its launch, providing traditional artisans and craftspeople with skill training, toolkits, credit support, digital incentives and market linkages, according to an official factsheet released on Wednesday.

More than 24.37 lakh artisans have received basic skill training, while over 18.16 lakh beneficiaries have been provided toolkits. The scheme has also sanctioned more than 6.19 lakh loans worth around Rs 5,316 crore to help artisans purchase inputs, upgrade tools and expand their businesses.

Over 8.11 lakh beneficiaries have received digital incentives, with more than Rs 42 crore disbursed. In addition, over 12,000 artisans have been trained to use AI tools for branding, product design, packaging and marketing.

The government has also focused on expanding market access. More than 30,000 Vishwakarma beneficiaries have been onboarded on e-commerce platforms including Government e-Marketplace (GeM), ONDC, Meesho, Amazon, Fabindia and Sulekha.

Across the country, the scheme has organised more than 1,500 awareness programmes and camps, over 50 workshops, 82 trade fairs, 37 state-level exhibitions and more than 50 flash mobs.

PM Vishwakarma seeks to provide end-to-end support to traditional artisans whose livelihoods largely depend on manual skills, family-based knowledge and small-scale enterprises. The scheme also aims to preserve and strengthen the Guru-Shishya parampara, through which traditional skills are passed down within families and communities.

After completing registration and verification, beneficiaries receive a PM Vishwakarma Certificate and ID Card. Skill training introduces them to modern tools, improved practices and innovative designs, while also covering digital transactions, marketing and entrepreneurship.

Basic training is conducted over 5–7 days, while advanced training lasts 15 days or more. Trainees receive a stipend of Rs 500 per day during training.

Under the scheme's digital incentive component, beneficiaries can receive Rs 1 for each eligible digital transaction credited or received in their bank account, subject to a maximum of 100 transactions per month.

Marketing assistance includes participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, branding, publicity and access to e-commerce platforms such as GeM, helping artisans adopt formal business practices and connect with wider markets.