Director, MSME-DFO, Dimapur, Mohd Ali Rahman, with resource persons and participants during the awareness workshop on branding and marketing under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, on September 2, 2026. (DIPR Photo)
Dimapur, September 2 (MExN): As many as 25,239 Vishwakarmas have been registered in Nagaland, with 4,590 completing all three stages of verification to access benefits under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, an official release stated.
The figures were shared by Mohd Ali Rahman, Director, MSME Development and Facilitation Office (MSME-DFO), Dimapur, during a one-day workshop on branding and marketing under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme held at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, on September 2.
The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), through MSME-DFO, Dimapur, in collaboration with the Department of Industries and Commerce and District Industries Centre (DIC), Dimapur, the State DIPR stated.
According to Rahman, around 1,900 Vishwakarmas have undergone trade training, 884 toolkits have been delivered, and 419 loans amounting to Rs 4.07 crore have been sanctioned. Of these, 404 loans worth Rs 3.91 crore have been disbursed. Thirty-three artisans have been onboarded on Meesho, while some have also been onboarded on Amazon.
The workshop focused on strengthening artisans' entrepreneurial capabilities through sessions on product packaging, labelling and design, export development, financial literacy, business development, artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce and digital payments.
Rahman highlighted the scheme's support for artisans in promoting and selling their products through digital marketplaces and encouraged beneficiaries to explore wider market opportunities.
During the workshop, Imliakum, Founder of Nagaland Paper and Packaging Hub, conducted a session on packaging, labelling and design, while Kiyelu T Yeptho, Functional Manager, DIC Dimapur, addressed export development.
Paweii Kayina, Founder of Moneybar, conducted a financial literacy session, followed by an interaction with Talinaro Longchar, Lead District Manager, State Bank of India, Dimapur, on banking, credit and loan applications. Loan sanction letters were handed over to eight PM Vishwakarma artisans.
Sessions on business development, digital payments, AI and e-commerce onboarding were also held. India Post Payments Bank officials demonstrated QR-code generation to facilitate digital payments, while the State Programme Management Unit (SPMU), PM Vishwakarma, conducted an interactive session on AI and e-commerce.
The workshop concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session on the scheme's benefits, opportunities and implementation, State DIPR reported
PM Vishwakarma Scheme
The PM Vishwakarma Scheme covers 18 traditional trades and provides a toolkit incentive of up to Rs 15,000, collateral-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh in two tranches at a concessional interest rate of 5%, as well as incentives for eligible digital transactions. It also provides marketing support through quality certification, branding and onboarding on e-commerce platforms.
More information is available on the PM Vishwakarma portal at pmvishwakarma.gov.in.
