What’s Going Wrong with the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana in Rayagada?

Concerns Over Implementation of Skill Development Scheme

Rayagada: The rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana in Rayagada district has hit a snag, leaving over 5,000 applicants in limbo regarding their applications and the future of the initiative.

Initiated on September 17, 2023, this government-backed program is designed to improve the skills of individuals engaged in traditional crafts, rural trades, and cottage industries.

While the scheme encompasses 18 categories of artisans, several crucial professions, such as tailoring, masonry, and carpentry, have reportedly been omitted in the latest verification phase.

This exclusion has caused significant confusion and anxiety among the thousands who had submitted applications in these fields.

Consequently, many individuals in these trades have ceased their applications.

As per the District Industries Centre (DIC), by May 2025, a total of 5,982 individuals had sought benefits from the scheme in Rayagada.

However, the official data available on the scheme's website indicates that only 12 applications have been processed and uploaded.

Additionally, 12 more candidates have been shortlisted for three rounds of verification, according to DIC sources. The application process includes several stages, starting with initial registration through the Common Service Centre (CSC) portal, followed by verification at the gram panchayat level by sarpanches and municipal executive officers via the Gram Swaraj portal.

The second stage involves further verification at the DIC, culminating in final approval from the Central authority. Out of the 5,982 applications submitted, only 2,132 were passed on to the DIC after initial verification by sarpanches.

The status of the remaining 3,825 applications is currently not accessible on the website, with officials stating that those records are only available in offline format.

This lack of transparency has led to frustration among applicants, especially in rural areas. Some local stakeholders believe that the scheme has lost its way in Rayagada.

Applicants who have been waiting for over a year report no communication from authorities regarding their application statuses.

With a significant number of applicants in tailoring and masonry, there is a growing public outcry to reinstate these categories in the scheme and restart the verification process to ensure fairness and inclusion.

Renu Mishra, an applicant from JK Pur, expressed her disappointment, stating she applied under the Vishwakarma Yojana for tailoring training but has received no updates after a year.

"No information is being provided," she lamented, adding, "With support or training through this scheme, I could help support my family."

Bijay Kumar Sahu, the general manager of the DIC in Rayagada, acknowledged the numerous gaps in the scheme's implementation.

He mentioned that a list of these issues was submitted to the state government a few months ago. He also noted that many applicants' details are not reflected on the official website, hindering the beneficiary selection process.

"The website is managed by the Central authorities, and often local sarpanches fail to verify and forward the applications of eligible beneficiaries," Sahu explained.

As a result, many applicants' files are not progressing further.

When asked about the lack of new applications in trades like tailoring, carpentry, and masonry, Sahu indicated that these professions might have been removed from the scheme by the government.