The MSME Development Office organised a seminar-cum-awareness and training camp at the Zila Panchayat office in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, 28 July 2025, bringing together more than 180 beneficiaries from across all blocks of the district to review the grassroots functioning of the PM Vishwakarma Yojana. The event focused on collecting participant feedback, resolving pending grievances, and delivering on-spot training in product marketing, packaging, artificial intelligence tools, and cybercrime safety.

Who Attended and What Was Covered

Both male and female artisans and craftspersons participated, representing every block in Betul district. Officials counselled attendees on eligibility, scheme benefits, and the process of becoming verified beneficiaries. Sessions covered practical areas including how to leverage digital platforms to sell products nationally and internationally — a feature that one participant noted allows sales to be conducted directly from home.

Beneficiary Voices from the Ground

A female beneficiary shared that prior to the scheme, her family was in severe financial distress and she struggled repeatedly to secure a loan through conventional channels. Under PM Vishwakarma Yojana, she received a ₹1 lakh loan along with a toolkit worth ₹15,000, which enabled her to establish and grow her own business. She credited the initiative with transforming her family's circumstances.

Suresh Saratkar, a mason and scheme beneficiary, said he received a loan, a certificate, and a toolkit under the programme. Having used the initial loan to expand his operations, he is now seeking a second loan to scale further.

A woman artisan engaged in brass idol (bell metal craft) making said she applied for a loan to expand her business, was selected for the programme, and received foundational training along with a stipend. She is currently awaiting disbursement of her loan and highlighted the scheme's digital component as a key enabler for reaching buyers beyond her immediate geography.

What the Government Said

Kailash Manekar, Assistant Director at the MSME department, said the awareness programme — organised in collaboration with the district administration — was designed to help beneficiaries make effective use of the toolkits and loans already received. 'The objective was to guide them on effectively utilising the toolkits and loans they received to expand their businesses, as well as on aspects like product marketing, packaging, leveraging AI, and staying safe from cybercrimes,' he said.

Pending Loans and Unresolved Grievances

Notably, the event also surfaced implementation gaps. Several attendees reported that their loan applications remain pending at banks, while others said they had not yet received their toolkits. These concerns were discussed during the session, pointing to a disconnect between scheme enrolment and actual disbursement at the ground level. The PM Vishwakarma Yojana, launched in September 2023, is set to complete its third year in September 2026.

As the scheme enters its third year, the Betul workshop underscores both the programme's reach among traditional artisans and the administrative bottlenecks that continue to slow its last-mile delivery.