Lok Sabha Question No. 2916 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: PM-VIKAS Scheme
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan, Dr. Kalyan Vaijinathrao Kale, Shri Joyanta Basumatary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2916

ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025

## PM-VIKAS SCHEME

## 2916.    DR. KALYAN VAIJINATHRAO KALE: SHRI BENNY BEHANAN: SHRI JOYANTA BASUMATARY:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of beneficiaries covered under the PM-VIKAS scheme since its inception in 2023,  Community  and  State-wise  particularly  in  North  Eastern  States  including  Bodoland Territorial Region;

(b) the training modules, financial assistance and marketing support provided under the scheme to traditional artisans;

(c)  whether  any  evaluation  or  feedback  mechanisms  have  been  instituted  to  assess  impact  on employment and income enhancement; and

(d) the details of the strategy of the Government to integrate PM-VIKAS with local handicraft clusters and MSMEs in minority-concentrated districts?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a) to  (d):  The  Pradhan  Mantri  Virasat  Ka  Samvardhan  (PM  VIKAS)  is  a  Central  Sector Scheme of the Ministry which converges five erstwhile schemes viz. 'Seekho Aur Kamao', 'Nai Manzil', 'Nai Roshni', 'USTTAD' and 'Hamari Dharohar' schemes and focuses on upliftment of six notified minority communities through the following:

- i. Skilling and Training (Non-traditional and traditional)
- ii. Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship
- iii. Education (through National Institute of Open Schooling)
- iv. Infrastructure Development (through Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram)

The scheme also provisions to facilitate credit linkages by connecting beneficiaries with  loan  programs  offered  by  the  National  Minorities  Development  &  Finance  Corporation (NMDFC). There is also a provision of stipend, to be paid to all beneficiaries of the scheme, through the DBT mode for the training period.

Further, training and capacity building of traditional artisans / master craftspersons, is undertaken through the following three routes :- a) NSQF-aligned training in need-based arts/ craft job roles;

b) Customized Workshops for improving market linkages and livelihoods of local communities;

c) Preservation of cultural heritage of traditional and languishing art and craft forms including Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

The projects under the scheme are allocated to Program Implementation Agencies(PIA)  and  hence,  state  wise/  community  wise  data  of  beneficiaries  is  not  available. However, under the scheme, the Ministry has recently allocated projects to institutionsbased in North-eastern  states,  i.e.  State  Institute  of  Hotel  Management  (SIHM),  Tripura;  North  Eastern Regional Agricultural  Marketing  Corporation  Ltd  (NERAMAC); and Nagaland Tool Room & Training Centre (NTTC), Dimapur, Nagaland.

Besides,  under  the  PM  VIKAS  Scheme,  the  Ministry  organizes  'Lok  Samvardhan  Parv' which provides artisans with a unique opportunity to showcase their indigenous arts, crafts, and rich cultural heritage. The event has been designed not only to promote the traditions of minority communities but also to foster an  innovative  and  entrepreneurial  environment  for  artisans. To enhance their skills in areas like marketing, export & online business, design, GST and sales etc., workshops are conducted by the Ministry, with support from the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), ensuring a holistic approach to empowering their talent and increasing their income. So far, the Ministry has organised 04 Lok Samvardhan Parvs, as under:

- a. July, 2024 at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi
- b. January, 2025 at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi
- c. April, 2025 at Convocation Ground, Kashmir University, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
- d. June, 2025 at Gandhi Darshan, Raj Ghat, New Delhi

PM  VIKAS  is  a  scheme  that  has  been rolled out only recently and the implementation  of  different  allocated  projects  is  in  initial  stages  only.  Hence,  as  of  now,  any evaluation or feedback of these projects have not been done.

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