Parliament Question: USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar Component under PM-VIKAS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4201 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 USTTAD AND HAMARI DHAROHAR COMPONENT UNDER PM-VIKAS 4201. DR. BACHAAV SHOBHA DINESH: SHRI VISHALDADA PRAKASHBAPU PATIL: MS. PRANITI SUSHILKUMAR SHINDE: ADV. GOWAAL KAGADA PADAVI: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the number of traditional artisans and craftspersons from trained under the USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar components of PM-VIKAS across the country particularly Maharashtra, including Solapur, Nandurbar, Bhandara, Sangli and Dhule districts, State and district-wise; (b) whether artists engaged in traditional art forms facing financial instability, mounting debt, irregular payments, declining patronage, safety concerns and instances of censorship have been covered under these components and if so, the details of support extended; (c) whether the market linkages, design development, branding assistance and social security support have been provided to enhance sustainable incomes and if so, the details and the outcomes thereof; (d) whether any audit has been conducted regarding fund utilisation, beneficiary reach and craft or performance cluster support in these districts and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of corrective measures with timelines and accountability mechanisms proposed to strengthen artisan livelihoods and preserve traditional cultural practices effectively? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU) (a) to (c): The Ministry of Minority Affairs implements Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme as a Central Sector scheme which converges five erstwhile schemes viz. ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Roshni’ ‘USTTAD’ and ‘Hamari Dharohar’; and focuses on socio-economic empowerment of six notified minorities through skill development; entrepreneurship and leadership development of minority women; and education support for school dropouts. The schemes were implemented across the country, including the state of Maharashtra, a State/UT breakup of beneficiaries trained and placed in the ‘USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar’ components prior to their integration into PM-VIKAS Scheme is placed at Annexure I. The PM VIKAS scheme comprises the following components: i. Skilling and Training Component (including traditional and non-traditional skills). ii. Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship Component. iii. Education Component for school dropouts through open schooling. iv. Infrastructure Development Component through convergence with other schemes such as PMJVK.Under the Traditional Training sub-component of PM-VIKAS, training and capacity- building programmes are conducted for artisans engaged in traditional arts and crafts across the country through empanelled Project Implementing Agencies. These programmes aim to enhance artisans’ skills, improve livelihood opportunities and preserve traditional cultural heritage including intangible cultural heritage (ICH). No allocation under this sub-component has been made so far in the State of Maharashtra under the PM VIKAS Scheme. The scheme also provides support through: i. skill up-gradation training in traditional arts and crafts; ii. customized workshops on design development, packaging, quality control, financial literacy and e-commerce; iii. facilitation of market linkages and participation in exhibitions and fairs; and iv. access to credit and financial support through institutions such as National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) or other banking / non-banking institutions. Further, under the PM VIKAS scheme, Ministry has been organising 'Lok Samvardhan Parv', bringing together minority artisans from across India and assist them to scale up their operations and businesses. So far, the Ministry has organised 05 Lok Samvardhan Parvs, in Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Kerala. (d) & (e): To strengthen artisan livelihoods and preserve traditional cultural practices, the scheme promotes: i. training and capacity-building programmes for traditional artisans, ii. preservation and promotion of traditional arts, crafts and intangible cultural heritage, iii. organization of exhibitions, fairs and marketing events to enhance visibility of artisan products, and iv. promotion of self-employment and entrepreneurship through formation of self-help groups and artisan producer organizations. Since the PM VIKAS scheme converging five erstwhile schemes has been rolled out only in January 2025 and projects are in initial stages of implementation, no audit has been conducted till date. *****Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4201 regarding USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar Component under PM-VIKAS asked by Dr. Bachhav Shobha Dinesh: Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil: Ms. Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde: Adv Gowaal Kagada Padavi: USTTAD State/ UT Trained Placed Andaman & Nicobar Islands - - Andhra Pradesh 360 63 Arunachal Pradesh - - Assam 1,702 - Bihar 544 2 Chandigarh - - Chhattisgarh 89 - Delhi 6 - Goa - - Gujarat 90 69 Haryana 180 66 Himachal Pradesh 295 - Jammu and Kashmir 2,129 786 Jharkhand 541 1 Karnataka 45 - Kerala - - Ladakh - - Madhya Pradesh 2,006 533 Maharashtra 621 90 Manipur 745 - Meghalaya 90 73 Mizoram 300 - Nagaland - - Odisha - - Puducherry - - Punjab 579 - Rajasthan 867 90 Sikkim - - Tamil Nadu - - Telangana 180 69 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman - - and Diu Tripura - - Uttar Pradesh 9,166 2,845 Uttarakhand - - West Bengal 1,076 259 Total 21,611 4,946