On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the process of registration and verification of artisans and handicraft workers, under PM Vishwakarma Yojana, on the portal is going on.

In this sequence, the urban bodies directorate has written to all the district magistrates, asking them to set targets in each urban body and conduct the first phase of verification as soon as possible.

The scheme includes a provision for three-tier verification of the registered beneficiaries. The first-level verification will be carried out by urban bodies. After successful verification, training of all selected Vishwakarmas will begin and Rs 15,000 each will be provided to them in the form of e-voucher for the purchase of toolkits. Additionally, efforts will be made to facilitate loans through banks.

Director of Urban Bodies Directorate, Nitin Bansal, said that there were different systems of verification for rural and urban bodies. In rural areas, the responsibility of verification lies with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj departments, while in urban areas, the first-level verification is being conducted by executive officers (EOs). All the DMs have been requested to hold meetings with all the EOs and cooperate with them to expedite the first-level verification in all urban bodies.

He mentioned that at the district level, the verification process will be conducted by a committee formed under the chairmanship of the district magistrate. Simultaneously, at the state-level, a committee under MSME is verifying the eligibility of beneficiaries.

According to the procedure prescribed for availing benefits under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana, the beneficiary must first apply, after which the verification process will take place at three levels – panchayat or ULB, district, and state. The beneficiary will receive a PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card. Additionally, their details will also be sent to the MSME Department.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 17, 2023, it is an ambitious scheme run by the Central government. Under this scheme, identification has been done for 18 trades. The Small, Micro, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department is the nodal department for the implementation of the scheme, with the cooperation of the Urban Development Department. Targets have been set for all districts for the first year under the scheme. The registration of beneficiaries will be done through Jan Suvidha Kendra.