The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, through the MSME Development and Facilitation Office (MSME-DFO), Dimapur, in collaboration with the Department of Industries and Commerce and the District Industries Centre (DIC), Dimapur, organised a one-day Awareness Workshop on Branding and Marketing under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, on 2nd September, 2026.
The PM Vishwakarma scheme aimed to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of PM Vishwakarma beneficiaries by providing practical knowledge on branding, product packaging, labelling and design, export development, financial literacy, business development, artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce and digital payment solutions. The scheme offers a toolkit incentive of up to Rs 15,000 in the form of e-vouchers at the beginning of basic skill training. For enterprise development, beneficiaries can avail collateral-free loans of up to Rs 3 lakh in two tranches—Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh - at a concessional fixed interest rate of 5 per cent.
To encourage digital payments, an incentive of Rs. 1 per digital transaction, up to a maximum of 100 transactions per month, is credited to the beneficiary’s account for eligible digital payouts or receipts.
The scheme also extends marketing support through quality certification, branding and onboarding of artisans on e-commerce platforms such as the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
The PM Vishwakarma Scheme covers 18 traditional trades, including carpenter, potter, boat maker, armourer, blacksmith, hammer and toolkit maker, locksmith, goldsmith, sculptor, mason, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor, fishing net maker, basket weaver, doll and toy maker, and cobbler.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by N. Abeno Lotha, Functional Manager, DIC Dimapur, who encouraged the participating artisans to make effective use of the opportunities and support available under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme to expand their enterprises and access wider markets.
Delivering the keynote address, Mohd. Ali Rahman, Director, MSME-DFO, Dimapur, highlighted the progress of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme and the support being extended to artisans for promoting and selling their products through digital marketplaces, including Meesho and Amazon. He encouraged the artisans to utilise such workshops to showcase their products and explore new avenues for market expansion.
He informed that, in Nagaland more than 25239 Vishwakarma are registered out of which 4590 completed all three stages of verification to get the benefits of the scheme in the form of training, toolkit and loan benefits. Around 1900 Vishwakarma trained in their respective trade, 884 tools delivered, 419 loans worth 4.07 crore have been sanctioned out of which 404 of loans have been disbursed worth 3.91 crore, 33 artisans onboarded on Meesho online shopping site and few artisans also onboarded on Amazon.
In conclusion, he hoped that the information and handhold knowledge during the workshop will be beneficial for prosperous future and growth.
The first technical session was held on “Product Packaging, Labelling and Design” conducted by Imliakum, Founder of Nagaland Paper and Packaging Hub. He explained different types of packaging, the suitability of packaging according to products and the role of effective packaging and labelling in communicating with customers and improving product appeal.
The session on “Export Development” was conducted by Kiyelu T. Yeptho, Functional Manager, DIC Dimapur, who familiarised participants with the fundamentals of export readiness and opportunities for taking local products to wider markets.
A hands-on session on financial literacy was conducted by Paweii Kayina, Founder of Moneybar, who discussed different approaches to money, financial decision-making and the importance of intentional financial management.
This was followed by an interaction with Talinaro Longchar, Lead District Manager, State Bank of India, Dimapur, who addressed participants' queries relating to banking facilities, credit and loan applications. During the programme, loan sanction letters were also handed over to eight PM Vishwakarma artisans.
The Business Development session was delivered by Thepfukedo Mere, Financial Analyst, RAMP Scheme, DIC Dimapur, who highlighted integrated business growth planning, financial management and networking as key factors for enterprise sustainability and expansion.
Emphasis was also placed on digitalisation, with Rahul Suman and Mithun Kumar Biswas of India Post Payments Bank, Dimapur, conducting a demonstration on QR code generation to help artisans adopt digital payment solutions and improve their access to customers.
An interactive session on Artificial Intelligence and e-commerce onboarding was subsequently conducted by the State Programme Management Unit (SPMU), PM Vishwakarma, introducing participants to emerging digital technologies and their potential applications in product promotion, marketing and enterprise development.
The workshop was intended to equip PM Vishwakarma artisans with practical knowledge and tools to improve product presentation, strengthen financial management, adopt digital solutions and expand market access.
The programme concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which artisans sought clarifications from officials of the Government, MSME-DFO and SPMU regarding the benefits, opportunities and implementation of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme. One can login to the website to know more about PM Vishwakarma Scheme- www.pmvishwakarma.gov.in
(Tovikali, IA, Dimapur)
