West Bengal Artisans Financial Benefit Scheme, 2024

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles
Shilpa Sadan (7th & 8th Floor), 4, Abanindranath Tagore Sarani, Kolkata-700016

No. 998/MSMET-18011(11)/9/2024 Dated: 07/03/2024

NOTIFICATION

WHEREAS West Bengal is known for its diverse range of arts and crafts with large number of men and women involved in traditional trades and handicrafts across the State;

WHEREAS most of the activities are unorganised and household based with these artisans playing a major role in economy of the State;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Governor is pleased to sanction a new financial benefit scheme for the artisans of Bengal with a view to create, support and sustain an enabling ecosystem for strengthening creativity and capacity of the artisans at the grassroots and make them important contributor in social development.

As most of the activities are house-hold based, these will create a considerable up-thrust to the economy of the state by maximizing the utilization of resource & generating new employment.

This will also open up a source of income to those who takes up these activities seasonally.

1. Short Title:

The Scheme will be named as “West Bengal Artisans Financial Benefit Scheme 2024”

2. Objective

The objective of the scheme is to provide the artisans of Bengal systematic financial support for procurement of modern tool kits, provisioning of working sheds and enabling access to digital markets and e-commerce, which will create sustainable business opportunities and thus unlock a huge opportunity for their economic development and employment creation. The scheme envisages support to around 1 lac artisans and 200 industrial cooperative societies every year with an expected annual financial outlay of Rs 200 crore.

3. Commencement and duration:

The scheme will come into effect from the date of notification in the entire State of West Bengal and shall remain in force for a period of five years, if not withdrawn/ amended earlier by a Notification in the official Gazette.

4. Area of coverage:

The entire state of West Bengal – both rural and urban

5. Coverage of Crafts and Trades:

All crafts and trades performed by handicrafts artisans across the state and other age-old traditional trades like Blacksmithy, Pottery, Carpentry, Masonry, Garland making (Malakar), Shoe making(Charmakar), Washerman (Dhobi), Boat making, Fishing, Net making, Broom making, Coir product making, Clay Doll making, Folk/Musical instrument making, Puppetry, Basketry, Locksmithy, Goldsmithy, Barber etc.

6. Financial Assistance under the Scheme:

(i) One time Grant up to Rs 15000/- for an individual artisan for purchase & repair of tool kits/ equipment.

(ii) For a group of at least 10 artisans coming under an industrial cooperative society, the assistance will be limited to Rs.3 lakh for tools/equipment and another Rs.7 lakh for Work Shed and other fixed assets

(iii) Support for Digital Marketing @ 2000/- per artisan and @ Rs.10,000 per such industrial cooperative society formed by the artisans

(iv) Other Supports

a. Facilitation for enlistment on the State Portal for Artisans
b. Facilitation for formation of Industrial Cooperative Society
c. Facilitation for obtaining statutory requirements.

7. Eligibility:

(i) Any handicrafts artisan or any group of artisans aged between 18- 60 years and engaged in traditional craft/ trade with hand tools/equipment/ small machines.

(ii) Enlistment in the State Portal for artisans& weavers.

(iii) Indian citizen &permanent resident of West Bengal for the past 10 years

(iv) For Work shed, an industrial cooperative society of the eligible artisans should possess a piece of land whereupon shed will be constructed/ machines will be installed.

8. Non-eligibility:

(i) Any central/state govt employee and his/her family members shall not be eligible

(ii) Should not have availed of any assistance/ grant from Central/ State Govt for the same purpose

(iii) Handloom and Khadi weavers, and their societies (as they are covered under separate schemes)

9. Operational Procedures:

(i) Applications will be invited from eligible artisans and traditional craft-persons through open advertisements on a regular basis.

(ii) The scheme will be publicized in rural areas through Panchayat Institutions and urban areas through Municipalities/ Corporations.

(iii) Applications by individual artisans or by the Cooperative Societies of the artisans are to be submitted at BDO’s office for rural areas, at SDO’s office for Municipality areas and at office of Municipal Corporation Office for the urban areas, as the case may be.

(iv) The applications in Panchayat areas will be screened fortnightly by a Screening Committee in the BDO Office, those in Municipality areas will be screened by a Screening Committee at SDO’s Office and for Corporation areas, applications will be screened by a Screening Committee at Corporation office. Relevant checklist & inspection format will be finalised by the Directorate of MSME.

(v) Screened applications will be forwarded to the respective District Industry Centre (DIC) for generating sanction orders and the concerned General Manger of DIC (GM-DIC) will send the list with the amount of required fund to the Directorate of MSME.

(vi) The Director of MSME will in turn place fund requisition to the Department of MSME & Textiles.

(vii) For individual artisans/ trades, the toolkits shall be procured by the beneficiaries themselves and the same shall be reimbursed up to Rs. 15,000/- on production of such vouchers and on verification. For industrial cooperative societies, work shed/ toolkits will be supplied by the GM-DIC office. However, any amount beyond 3 lac for toolkits as allowed under this scheme shall be borne by the concerned society.

(viii) In case of Work shed for an industrialcooperativesociety of artisans, the GM-DIC will place fund with the concerned BDO for construction of such sheds. However, any amount beyond 7 lac respectively for work-shed as allowed under this scheme shall be borne by the concerned society.

(ix) The amount earmarked for support on digital marketing can be used for-

a. Training the individual artisans/ industrial cooperative societies in understanding the benefits and processes required for e-commerce/ digital marketing
b. On-boarding the artisans/ industrial cooperative societies on e-commerce platforms
c. Assisting the artisans/ industrial cooperative societies in developing digital product portfolio
d. Assisting the artisans/ industrial cooperative societies in tie-up for packaging etc for helping them in e-commerce
e. Assistance in GST & other compliances

Before disbursing assistance for digital marketing, GM-DIC will provide handholding support to train the individual artisan/ cooperative of artisans as to how the portals may be used.

(x) The GM-DIC will also maintain a disbursement register for the purpose of keeping artisan wise/ industrial cooperative wise records of all disbursement made under this scheme.

(xi) The department of MSME & Textiles will notify the application forms for various components under this scheme, issue operational guidelines from time to time and also develop an online portal for monitoring & supervision of various components, sanction and disbursement of benefits under this scheme.

10. Constitution of Screening Committees:

A. Screening Committee for Panchayat area:-

1) BDO/ Joint BDO – Chairperson
2) SAE – Member
3) IDO, or any other extension officer, selected by BDO – Member Convener

B. Screening Committee for Municipality area

1) SDO/ Deputy Magistrate – Chairman
2) Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies, any other officer of Cooperation Department
3) Manager, DIC (nominated by GM-DIC) – Member Convener

C. Screening Committee for Corporation area

1) Additional/Dy Municipal Commissioner/Secretary – Chairman
2) Manager, DIC (nominated by GM-DIC) – Member-Convener
3) One Engineer of the Corporation nominated by the Municipal Commissioner

The Committees above may co-opt any other officer as member of the committee for the smooth implementation of this scheme.

11. Documents Required:

1. Proof of enrolment in the State portal for artisans& weavers
2. The standard price of tools/kits on the basis of 3 sets of quotations collected.
3. Land documents where Work Shed to be constructed.
4. Project estimate with lay out drawings vetted by a competent authority (SAE/ EE)
5. Registration certificate in case of the industrial cooperative society
6. In case of repairing of Tool/equipment-invoice/bill from concerned workshop
7. Invoices/Bills in case of various compounds under digital marketing.

12. Grievance Redressal and Interpretation:

In case of any grievance against the decision of the GM Concerned, application to be made to the Director MSME. In case of any interpretation regarding the scheme, Director MSME may consult the Department of MSME&T before taking any final decision.

13. Power to amend and/or relax:

Notwithstanding anything contained in any of the provisions of Scheme, the State Government may at any time-

(i) Modify, vary, alter, amend or withdraw any of the provisions made here in above in this Scheme and such modifications, variations, alterations, amendments and withdrawal shall be effective from the date specified in the order so made in this behalf,

(ii) Make any relaxation in applying the provisions of this Scheme but such relaxation shall be made on merits of the approved project in each case, as the State Government may consider necessary and appropriate.

(iii) May issue instructions and guidelines to facilitate implementation, to remove anomalies and to clarify the interpretations of the provisions of this Scheme.

The West Bengal Artisans Financial Benefit Scheme 2024is notified in concurrence of the Finance Department, vide, U.O. No. Goup C/2023-2024/0081 dated 28/02/2024 and with approval of the State Cabinet meeting held on 06/03/ 2024.

By order of the Governor,

RAJESH PANDEY
Principal Secretary to the
Government of West Bengal

No. 998-MSMET dated 07.03.2024, Source

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