 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 29: Chairing a high-level review meeting of PM Vishwakarma Scheme today, Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo directed the concerned departments and banking institutions to give a major strategic push for improving credit uptake under this scheme here. He stressed that credit linkage is a significant pillar of the programme and must progress in tandem with training, toolkit distribution, and capacity-building components. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce (I&C), Vikramjit Singh; Secretary, Labour & Employment, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan; Managing Director, J&K Bank; Director, L&E; Directors, I&C Jammu/Kashmir, and senior officers of these Departments. The Chief Secretary called for focused interventions to bridge the growing gap between sanctioned loans and actual disbursements. He directed banks to streamline procedures, minimize delays, and ensure that sanctioned beneficiaries receive funds quickly so that the scheme's benefits saturate at the grassroots. The Chief Secretary directed both departments and banks to raise the Union Territory's disbursement percentage at least to the national average of 70 percent. He emphasized that the renewed push would ensure that artisans, especially those in rural and marginalized communities, receive timely financial assistance to modernize their tools, enhance productivity, and scale up traditional crafts. Reiterating the commitment to saturating all components of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, he set an ambitious target of achieving 30,000 credit linkages by March 2026. He further instructed that eligible artisans be integrated under the YUVA Mission to enable them to access enhanced handholding support and increased ticket sizes for entrepreneurship development. Reviewing the progress on skill training, toolkit delivery and artisan onboarding, he underscored the need to accelerate credit linkage as a critical enabler for artisans to upgrade tools, adopt modern practices, and scale their traditional trades. |
