CM opens Kalaignar crafts scheme

Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday launched the Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam (KKT) scheme in Kancheepuram, a programme designed to support 25 categories of artisans with financial assistance and upskilling.

The scheme is aimed at countering Union govt's Vishwakarma scheme, which Stalin alleges promotes "caste discrimination and family-based traditional trade."

The scheme has already facilitated disbursement of bank loans worth 170 crore to 8,951 beneficiaries out of 27,907 applications received.

Stalin said, "A scheme should aim at upholding social justice and equality. But Vishwakarma scheme is not such a scheme. There was a condition that if one wants to benefit under the scheme, the applicant should do the same job that his family has been doing for ages."

Expressing shock and anguish over the minimum age requirement of 18 years for applicants under the Vishwakarma scheme, the chief minister asked if 18 was appropriate for higher education or a time when students are compelled to abandon their studies for family obligations.

While DMK govt takes up initiatives to support students' higher education and skills development, including ‘Pudhumai Penn', ‘Tamil Pudhalvan', and ‘Naan Mudhalvan', Stalin criticised Union govt's alleged promotion of family-based traditional trades.

He said, "And what kind of consequences will this have in the Indian society riddled with caste differences? How can a person with a conscience tolerate this?"

The chief minister recalled the state govt's request to Centre to make changes to the Vishwakarma scheme, including raising the minimum age limit to 35, and removing a condition that mandates applicant's family should be traditionally engaged in the trade.

When the Centre did not consider the request, the state govt rejected the Vishwakarma scheme.

The KKT scheme, in contrast to the Vishwakarma scheme, aims to improve the livelihood of artisans and does not discriminate based on caste, Stalin said.

The KKT covers 25 categories of artisans, more than the Centre's 18, and is open to anyone who can do any trade, not just family-based traditional trade.

"The minimum age to apply has been set as 35 so that no student feels that the family-based traditional trade is enough at the age of going to college," he said.

The KKT scheme offers financial support to artisans, including a credit-linked subsidy of up to 50,000. It also provides an interest subvention of 2% for loans from TAICO Bank and 5% for loans from other banks.