West Bengal is gearing up to forget the Mamata Mukherjee government putting speed breaker before the PM Vishwakarma scheme and implement it.

The scheme is a central government initiative designed to empower traditional artisans and crafts people.It provides holistic support including skill training, collateral-free credit, modern toolkit incentives, and marketing assistance to help traditional workers scale their businesses.

Toward the same end, Dr. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner (MSME), Ministry of MSME, Government of India, met with Shri Manoj Agarwal, the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal on May 22, 2026, for implementation of PM Vishwakarma Scheme in West Bengal.

The scheme was launched by Ministry of MSME, Government of India on 17th September, 2023 and recently the Government of West Bengal has issued notification for constitution of State Monitoring Committee and also District Implementation Committees for roll-out PM Vishwakarma in West Bengal.

Discussions were held on accelerating implementation of the PM Vishwakarma, improving beneficiary identification, strengthening skill development and ensuring wider outreach among traditional artisans and craftspeople. The interaction also focused on the implementation of other MSME schemes in the State and strategies for strengthening the MSME ecosystem through enhanced coordination and institutional support.

The Chief Secretary appreciated the continued support of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, towards strengthening MSME development in West Bengal and reiterated the State Government’s commitment for effective implementation of Central sector schemes.

A meeting was also held with Shri Rajesh Pandey, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME & Textiles Department, Government of West Bengal and state functionaries wherein the modalities for outreach and implementation of PM Vishwakarma was detailed to the state officials and the bankers.

Dr. Rajneesh highlighted the importance of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in preserving India’s traditional skills and empowering artisans through modern tools, formal financial access, and improved market opportunities. He noted that West Bengal, with its rich heritage of traditional crafts and artisan communities, has significant potential for successful implementation of the scheme. There are 7.79 lakh artisans and craftspeople currently enrolled under PM Vishwakarma in West Bengal.

During the visit Dr. Rajneesh also interacted with the MSME associations of West Bengal and apprised them of the flagship programs of Ministry of MSME for facilitating growth and development of MSMEs. The activities of Technology Centre and Testing Centre at Kolkata were reviewed to expand technological, tooling and testing support to MSMEs in West Bengal. During the visit he also inaugurated the “Transformer Testing Facility” at MSME Testing Centre, Kolkata on 21 May, 2026.

The establishment of this modern transformer testing facility will provide affordable and reliable testing services under one roof with cost competitiveness. The facility will support testing of a wide range of capacity-oriented transformers, including both step-up and step-down transformers, in line with evolving industry and utility requirements.

The project is expected to significantly benefit Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in transformer manufacturing by providing access to reliable and standardized testing facilities within the region, thereby reducing dependency on distant laboratories and minimizing testing turnaround time.

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari