Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday (April 19, 2025) launched ‘Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam’, an artisan development scheme that would serve as the State government’s alternative to the Centre’s PM Vishwakarma scheme.

“In 2023, the BJP government at the Centre introduced the Vishwakarma scheme. They said the scheme would cover 18 trades and focus on upskilling and providing loans of up to ₹3 lakh. For us, any scheme should have the objective of upholding social justice and equality. However, the Vishwakarma scheme does not have such features,” he said at the launch, organised by the MSME Department on the Sekkizhar Government Boys Higher Secondary School complex in Kundrathur.

“We strongly opposed the Vishwakarma scheme, stating it would strengthen caste-based vocation,” Mr. Stalin said, adding that the scheme is a reflection of the fact that some still hold regressive ideas.

“I was also shocked and pained to see that the minimum age criteria for the Vishwakarma scheme is 18 years. Is 18 years an age to pursue higher education or to push someone towards family-based traditional trade,” he asked. “A government’s duty should be to bring students who drop out back into the educational system and not take them out of education and tell them to pursue family-based traditional trade,” Mr. Stalin noted.

“While our Dravidian model government is working hard to ensure that those who have completed school pursue higher education through the Pudhumai Penn scheme and Tamil Pudhalvan scheme, the BJP government is working towards encouraging caste-based vocation,” he added.

Mr. Stalin also recalled that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking modifications to the Vishwakarma scheme, including a request to increase the minimum age to 35 years. “However, the Centre refused to make the changes. I wrote to the Union MSME Minister, stating that the State government would not take the PM Vishwakarma scheme forward in its present form,” Mr. Stalin said.

‘More inclusive and comprehensive’

“We then decided to come up with an alternative scheme, which is more inclusive and comprehensive, and does not discriminate on the basis of caste. That is how the Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam scheme was designed,” he said.

The scheme covers 25 trades. Under the Central scheme, the applicant can only focus on family trade, but under this scheme, one can pursue a trade of their choice, Mr. Stalin said.

“We have fixed the minimum age of 35 years for the Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam. We provide loans in the range of ₹50,000 to ₹3 lakh with subsidy. In the Centre’s scheme, there is no subsidy. We have, so far, received 24,907 applications for our scheme,” he said.

He handed over orders of loan approvals to the tune of ₹170 crore, including a subsidy of ₹34 crore, under the Kalaignar Kaivinai Thittam scheme to 8,951 beneficiaries. He also handed over certificates of appreciation to officials of Taico Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, State Bank of India, and Canara Bank for providing loans to a higher number of beneficiaries under the scheme.

Five new announcements

Mr. Stalin also made five announcements, including increasing the subsidy provided for applying for Geographical Indications (GI) tags to ₹1 lakh from ₹25,000 and the establishment of a metrology and metallurgy laboratory at the cost of ₹5 crore for the benefit of automotive and engineering component manufacturing units at Ambattur Industrial Estate.

Infrastructure facilities, including road and stormwater drainage work, will be taken up at ₹5 crore in Pazhanthandalam in Kancheepuram district, where a large number of industrial units are located, he said.

At Kakkalur Industrial Estate, a training centre for technological skill development and a Common Facility Centre with equipment will be set up at a cost of ₹3.9 crore, Mr. Stalin said.

The financial assistance provided to micro and small enterprises to put up stalls in domestic exhibitions and trade fairs will be increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh, he added.

Three clusters inaugurated

Mr. Stalin also inaugurated three clusters under the Micro Cluster Development Programme. They are: Peravurani Coir Cluster, Thanjavur district, established at a cost of ₹7.29 crore, Jewellery Federation Cluster, Ramanathapuram district, established at a cost of ₹6.72 crore, and Embroidery Stitching Cluster, Thenkasi district, established at the cost of ₹1.15 crore.

The Chief Minister also presented awards to the best performing MSMEs in the State for 2023-24.

Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises T.M. Anbarasan, DMK MPs T.R. Baalu and Selvam, and Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, among other officials, were present.