Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, had announced expanding and doubling the support to Artisans who might be interested in making Agarbatti few days ago.
Taking the efforts further, the Ministry has now come out with new guidelines for two more schemes which include Pottery Activity and Beekeeping Activity.
These new initiatives of the Ministry with beneficiary oriented Self-Employment schemes, are aimed at rejuvenating the grass root economy contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
For Pottery Activity Government will provide assistance of pottery wheel, Clay Blunger, Granulator etc.
It will also provide Wheel Pottery Training for traditional pottery artisans and Press Pottery training for pottery as well as non-pottery artisans in Self- Help Groups.
There is also provision to provide Jigger-Jolly training programme for pottery as well as non-pottery artisan in Self-Help Groups.
A total of 6,075 Traditional and others non-traditional pottery artisans, Rural Un-employed youth, Migrant Labourers will get benefitted from this Scheme.
As Financial support for the year 2020-21, an amount of 19.50 crore rupees will be expended to support 6,075 artisans with a Centre of Excellence, with MGIRI, Wardha, CGCRI, Khurja, VNIT, Nagpur and suitable IIT or NID or NIFT etc, for product development, advance skill programme and quality standardization of products.
Additional amount of 50 crore rupees has been provisioned for setting up of clusters in Terracotta, Red clay pottery, with new innovative value added products to build pottery to crockery or tile making capabilities, under ‘SFURTI’ scheme of the Ministry.
In case of the Scheme for Beekeeping Activity, Government will provide assistance of Bee boxes and Tool kits. Under this scheme, Bee boxes, with Bee colonies, will also be distributed to Migrant workers in Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan districts.
A five-day beekeeping training will also be provided to the beneficiaries through various Training Centres or State Beekeeping Extension Centres or Master Trainers as per prescribed syllabus.
This is being done in order to create sustainable employment and to provide supplementary income for the beekeepers or farmers, to create awareness about Honey and other Hive Products, to help artisans adopt scientific Beekeeping and Management practices, to utilize available natural resources in beekeeping and to create awareness about the benefits of beekeeping in cross pollination.
To begin with, Scheme proposes to cover, during 2020-21, a total of 2,050 Beekeepers, Entrepreneurs, Farmers, Unemployed Youth, Adivasis will get benefitted from these projects or programme.
For this purpose, a financial support of 13 crore rupees during 2020-21 has been provisioned to support 2,050 artisans which include 1,250 people from Self-Help Groups and 800 Migrant labourers, with a Centre of Excellence with CSIR or IIT Or other Top class Institute to develop honey based new value added products.
Additional amount of 50 crore rupees has also been kept for developing Beekeeping honey clusters under the ‘SFURTI’ scheme of the Ministry.