Five months on, Craftspersons, artisans struggle to register for PM Vishwakarma scheme

The traditional artisans and craftspeople in Kerala have raised concerns about the inability to register for the PM Vishwakarma scheme even five months after it was launched. The registration for the scheme, intended to benefit families of people from 18 different traditional occupations, carried out through the website pmvishwakarma.org.in monitored by the Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). However, a majority of artisans are finding it difficult to even access the website or complete their registration process.

“I went to the nearest Common Services Centre at least five times, only to be disappointed each time. The site does not even load,” said Suchitra Sreekumar, a tailor, seeking registration for the scheme.

The MSME Development and Facilitation office at Thrissur has been organising awareness programmes about the scheme in various districts and has made an effort to conduct registration drives.

Shibina Manoj, a wood based artisan, did not receive One Time Password (OTP) on her phone, which is mandatory to proceed with the registration.

“It is an issue with the website. We are helpless too,” said Abdul Nasar I, who manages an Akshaya Centre in Feroke, Kozhikode. “The website frequently gets stuck, and some users do not receive the OTP. Some people cannot submit their applications due to  unprecedented error in their Aadhar card. Even if the correction is made on the UIDAI website, it takes a long time for the correction to be effective,” Mr. Nasar added.

Sources at the District Industries Centre in Kozhikode said the huge traffic in the website was the reason for issues and requested the applicants to keep trying.

The PM Vishwakarma Yojana launched in September 2023 had been an instant hit among traditional craftsmen such as carpenters, blacksmiths, locksmiths, goldsmiths, potters, sculptors, cobblers, masons, barbers, washermen, tailors and so on. The scheme aims to impart dignity to the professions that follow traditional Guru-Shishya (teacher-disciple) system.

The scheme supports them for advanced training, procurement of tool kits, enterprise development loans free of collateral, interest at concessional rate, and marketing support. More than 1.02 crore people across India have already registered under the scheme.

Despite difficulties, some craftsmen in Kerala too have been successful in completing the registration, though they are yet to get their identity cards.