PM opens Yashobhoomi, ₹13k-cr plan for workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday pitched his government as a "partner of the Vishwakarmas" and inaugurated a state-of-the art India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) - Yashobhoomi - at Dwarka in southwest Delhi.

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The PM, on his birthday, also launched the 13,000 crore PM Vishwakarma scheme to offer monetary and logistical support to workers engaged in traditional crafts and skills.

"Today I dedicate Yashobhoomi to every labourer, every Vishwakarma of the nation," he said inaugurating the first phase of the convention centre, built at the cost of ₹5,400 crore.

Underlining the contribution and importance of the Vishwakarmas in everyday life, the Prime Minister said that Vishwakarmas will always remain significant in society, no matter the advancements made in technology.

"It is the need of the hour that Vishwakarmas are recognised and supported," he said at an event organised to mark Vishwakarma Jayanti, which coincides with his birthday.

"The government has come forward as a partner to elevate the respect, enhance the capabilities, and grow the prosperity of the Vishwakarmas," he said.

His government at the Centre, Modi added, is one that prioritises the deprived. "Modi stands for those who have nobody to care about them," he said, adding that he will ensure a "a life of dignity" for the people. "This is Modi's guarantee," he said.

The goal of the Vishwakarma scheme is to enhance the accessibility and quality of products and services offered by traditional artisans and craftsmen, broadly divided into 18 sections that include carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, sculptors, potters, cobblers, tailors, masons, hairdressers and washermen, among others.