Answer Book question
Yes: PM Vishwakarma, for 18 traditional trades including carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, potters, masons, tailors, cobblers, barbers, washermen, boat makers, basket and broom makers, toolkit makers and others. It gives a ₹15,000 toolkit voucher after a short skills course, a collateral-free loan of ₹1 lakh at 5% interest (the government pays the rest), a second tranche of ₹2 lakh after repayment, a daily stipend during training, and a digital-payment incentive. Apply through a Common Service Centre or Akshaya centre; checking goes through the panchayat.
Yes: PM Vishwakarma, for 18 traditional trades including carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, potters, masons, tailors, cobblers, barbers, washermen, boat makers, basket and broom makers, toolkit makers and others. It gives a ₹15,000 toolkit voucher after a short skills course, a collateral-free loan of ₹1 lakh at 5% interest (the government pays the rest), a second tranche of ₹2 lakh after repayment, a daily stipend during training, and a digital-payment incentive. Apply through a Common Service Centre or Akshaya centre; checking goes through the panchayat.
A tailor in Ezhamkulam who has worked from home for twenty years attends a five-day training, receives a ₹15,000 e-voucher for a new machine, and takes a ₹1 lakh loan at 5% to stock fabric. Eighteen months later, having repaid, she is eligible for ₹2 lakh more. No land, no guarantor, no bank visit beyond the account.
PM Vishwakarma (launched September 2023, ₹13,000 crore outlay to 2027–28) covers artisans and craftspeople working with hands and tools in 18 listed trades, aged 18 or above, self-employed in the unorganised sector, not having taken PMEGP, Mudra or SVANidhi loans in the last five years, and one member per family.
Benefits: a Vishwakarma certificate and ID card; basic training of five to seven days with ₹500 a day stipend and optional advanced training; a ₹15,000 toolkit incentive as an e-voucher; credit support of ₹1 lakh (18-month tenure) and then ₹2 lakh (30 months) at 5%, with an 8% subvention paid by the government to the lender and a credit guarantee so no collateral is taken; ₹1 per digital transaction up to 100 a month; and marketing support.
in via CSC with Aadhaar and bank details, with a three-stage checking by the gram panchayat or urban local body, the district committee and the screening committee. Kerala's putting it into practice runs through the district industries centres and Kudumbashree in many areas.
Whether your trade is on the list of 18 (the list is specific; 'handicraft' in general is not enough) Whether you or a family member took PMEGP, Mudra or SVANidhi in the last five years Aadhaar-linked mobile and a bank account in your name Whether the gram panchayat checking stage is moving; ask the panchayat office The training schedule at the nearest centre
Assuming it is only for people in a registered artisan cooperative. It is for individuals. Also: not repaying the first ₹1 lakh on time, which forfeits the ₹2 lakh second tranche.
Kerala has tens of thousands of home-based tailors, goldsmiths, carpenters and masons who fit the criteria, and uptake has lagged because the first stage sits with panchayats. Women tailors are the single largest eligible group in Pathanamthitta. The scheme also reaches the fishing-boat makers of the coast and the broom and basket makers of tribal hamlets.
Toolkit ₹15,000 (grant). Loan 1: ₹1 lakh at 5% over 18 months: EMI about ₹5,800; interest paid by you roughly ₹4,000; the government pays about ₹6,500 to the bank. Loan 2: ₹2 lakh at 5% over 30 months after repayment.
If you have taken any of the excluded loans recently, or if you are an employee rather than self-employed, you are out. If you run a larger registered unit with employees, PMEGP or Mudra may suit better.
Check your trade against the list on the portal Apply at an Akshaya centre with Aadhaar, ration card and bank passbook Follow up at the panchayat office on the first checking
What is Mudra and who is it for? (Vol 1) Are there schemes specifically for women starting a business in Kerala? (Vol 1)
Business setup & schemes
in portal · Kerala District Industries Centre putting it into practice circulars Last checked: 22 August 2026. Rates, limits and whether you may qualify change. Confirm with the official source before you act. Ask Kerala Rising: Use only general, non-identifying facts. Do not send bank, health, legal, property, identity, account, transaction, or loan documents, screenshots, numbers, OTPs, or passwords over WhatsApp.
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This page is general orientation, not personal insurance, investment, medical, legal, lending, tax, employment, or professional advice. Rules, rates, deadlines, and decisions can change. Confirm the current position with the named official source and use a licensed or qualified professional where your situation requires one. Kerala Rising does not decide whether you may qualify, approve claims, or promise an outcome.