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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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
