Limited reach of CM skill scheme, only 428 artisans benefited so far

Rs7,500 per month to be paid to artisans to train youths | Target to train 4,000 in traditional arts

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 11

Traditional artisans, who have lost their livelihood due to the lockdown, can now seek help under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Kaushal Yojana. Besides providing financial aid, the scheme will also help them in passing on traditional crafts to the next generation. However, the scheme launched last year has benefited only 428 beneficiaries due to a limited reach in remote rural areas.

Lalit Jain, Director Rural Development and Panchayats, while talking toThe Tribune, said that the scheme was formulated last year. A budget of Rs 75 lakh was spent and 428 artisans and trainees attached with them were provided employment under the scheme. It was decided that any artisan, who wants to teach his skills to youths, would get Rs 7,500 per month under the scheme and all trainees under him would also get a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 each, he added.

Jain said that the government decided to expand the ambit of the scheme to help artisans considering a majority of them had lost their livelihood. During 2021-22, the government had provided Rs 10 crore and set a target of training 4,000 youths under the scheme. There was no limit on the number of trainees that an artisan could train. However, the duration of a training course was limited to six months, he added.

Jain said, “As many as 72 crafts such as basket kilta making, bamboo product activity, Kashmiri embroidery on fabrics, pine needle products, traditional pottery art, tandoor, trunk, ‘hamaam’ making, local shoes (pulen) making, traditional carry bag, paper bag and file cover making, Baishali paintings, Guler Shaili, Cheed Patti craft, fish cusine, Phulkari embroidery, wooden toy making, Chamba ‘chapal’ and ‘rumal’, traditional band making, traditional jacket-basket, woollen knitting, wood carving, metal idol making and painting Mandi Kalam that have been covered under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Kaushal Yojana”.

The government had also decided to buy products created by artisans and their trainees under the scheme to be offered as mementos to guests visiting the state, he said.

The government had decided to increase the budget under the scheme and also increase the number of projected beneficiaries to 4,000 this year. However, the real challenge would be take the scheme to remote rural areas of the state where artisans are located. Jain said that the government would reach out the artisans through panchayats to ensure that the scheme benefits reach a maximum number of people.