Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh), June 3 (IANS) Scores of residents in this town of Madhya Pradesh are becoming self-reliant, taking advantage of the PM Vishwakarma Yojana.

Not only urban youth but also those from rural areas are getting direct benefits from the scheme. Hundreds of youth have received a loan of Rs 1 lakh and also training. The scheme was launched for training the traditional artisans and craftsmen with modern skills and also to make them financially strong.

Under this scheme, the youth are provided training for the first seven days and also provided an honorarium of Rs 500 per day. On completion of the training, a toolkit of Rs 15,000 is also given. A loan of up to Rs 1 lakh is given by the banks so that the beneficiary can expand their business.

In Neemuch, a total of 34,052 applications were received, out of which 5,119 applications were approved at the state level. Loans were sanctioned to 1,296 beneficiaries through banks, the total amount of which is Rs 10.80 crore.

Today, many of those benefiting from this scheme are thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Samarth Sen, a salon owner of Palsoda village, said, “I had applied under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana. We got a loan of Rs 1 lakh from the bank, and we bought salon equipment with that money. This scheme should continue in the future as well, so that more youths can benefit from it. Many thanks to PM Modi for this scheme.”

Prakash Chandra Suthar, a resident of Dhaneria Kala village, said, “I work in the furniture business. I have also taken advantage of this scheme. I was also trained in this, and through this training, I have also been sanctioned a loan. This is helping me a lot in increasing my employment.”

Salon operator Rajesh Sen, a resident of Palsoda, said that earlier he used to run a small shop, but then expanded the shop by taking advantage of the Prime Minister Vishwakarma Yojana.

“I also received Rs 4,000 during the training. After this, I received a loan of one lakh rupees. Through training, I was taught how to do parlour work, cutting and shaving in a modern way. Today, my family and I are happy,” he said.

He said that Prime Minister Modi has made us self-reliant.

Notably, the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana was launched on December 17, 2023, on the Vishwakarma Jayanti. Under this scheme, the government provides financial assistance and skill development training to thousands of people engaged in jobs like carpenter, blacksmith, goldsmith, potter, tailor, barber, cobbler, sculptor, toy maker, etc.

–IANS

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