PM Modi announces Rs 15,000 cr 'Vishwakarma Yojana' for people engaged in traditional skills
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a mega scheme, Vishwakarma Yojana, with an outlay of Rs 13,000 to Rs 15,000 crore, to boost livelihood opportunities for people engaged in traditional skills, including carpenters, masons and goldsmiths.
The scheme, mainly benefiting people belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, will be launched on Vishwakarma Jayanti that falls on September 17.
In his address to the nation from the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Modi highlighted that about 13.5 crore people have come out of poverty in the last five years on account of the government's developmental policies.
He announced a programme will be launched on the forthcoming Vishwakarma Jayanti for people earning livelihood with traditional skills either using tools or their own hands.
The Rs 13,000-Rs 15,000 crore scheme will provide strength to carpenters, goldsmiths, masons, laundry workers, and barbers, who mostly belong to the Other Backward Class (OBC) community, he said.
The Prime Minister said the various schemes ranging from housing schemes, provision of Rs 50,000 crore to street vendors through the PM SVANidhi scheme, and many more such programmes have aided 13.5 crore people to rise above the hardships of poverty.
Modi said that there can be no greater satisfaction in life than this.
In this 10th speech from the ramparts of the Red Ford, Modi said the Mudra Yojana, with a budget of over Rs 20 lakh crore, has provided opportunities for self-employment, businesses, and ventures for the youth of the country.
He said about eight crore people have started new businesses, and each entrepreneur has provided employment to one or two individuals.
The Prime Minister added that businesses too were supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein MSMEs were supported with nearly Rs 3.5 lakh crore, preventing them from sinking and providing them strength.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
