Stalin govt's objections to PM Vishwakarma bring back 70-year-old debate

While the Narendra Modi-led Centre is looking to impress artisans across the country with the PM Vishwakarma scheme, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MKStalin has declared that his government would not implement the scheme in the state because it appears to be “casteist”.

Tamil Nadu would know because way back in the 1950s, a similar education policy was launched and promptly revoked because it smacked of casteism. The Vishwakarma scheme resembles, in spirit, that controversial New Scheme of Elementary Education — better known as Kula Kalvi Thittam (Hereditary Education Policy) — rejected by Tamil Nadu 70 years ago, the DMK argues.

Stalin seeks modification

Stalin has written to Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, seeking that the scheme be modified for implementation in Tamil Nadu. He has also stated that the findings of the committee constituted by his government to study the scheme have revealed that it strengthens the system of “caste-based vocation”, and therefore, Tamil Nadu will not implement the scheme in its present form.

DMK MP Kanimozhi NVN Somu told The Federal that the PM Vishwakarma scheme would not suit Tamil Nadu in its present form due to its growth in the education and employment sectors.

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“Scheme does not suit Tamil Nadu”

“The Vishwakarma scheme requires the applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in an occupation. This is an indirect way to push artisan families to continue their caste-based occupation, which was abolished in Tamil Nadu after a big struggle,” she said.

“Over the years, thousands of artisans have educated their children and improved their livelihoods. Tamil Nadu is leading in education and economic growth and has reduced poverty over the years through free quality education and various social justice measures. Currently, this family-based occupation scheme would not suit a state like Tamil Nadu,” she added.

What was Kula Kalvi Thittam?

Somu also drew attention to the fact that the DMK had firmly opposed the Kula Kalvi Thittam in the 1950s, too, when C Rajagopalachari, the Congress chief minister of the then Madras state, had implemented it in state-run schools.

The policy, which suggested that elementary school students would be encouraged to learn the occupation of their parents as part of their formal education, was seen as pushing certain communities back to their caste-based roles.

“It seems the BJP government wants to bring back the Kula Kalvi Thittam through the Vishwakarma scheme. At the age of 18 years, our youth must be engaged in quality education instead of being given a small funding to engage in caste-based occupations,” Somu asserted.

“Periyar rightly pointed out that education related to caste-based occupations would be a fortification of Varnashrama. We need science and technology-based training for our youth, not caste-based occupational training. We have to prepare our youth for the modern era and not take them back to the dark ages,” she added.

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What Stalin has sought

The Tamil Nadu government-appointed committee has recommended the removal of the mandatory requirement for the applicant’s family to be traditionally engaged in a trade as required by the Vishwakarma scheme.

“The minimum age criterion should be 35 years so that only those who have made an informed choice to continue their family trade can avail of benefits under this scheme,” Stalin wrote to Manjhi.

He also said that to empower artisans in Tamil Nadu under the overall principle of social justice, his government has decided to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive scheme for artisans, which does not discriminate based on caste.

Political bickering

As expected, the BJP and the other major opposition party in the state, the AIADMK, have slammed the DMK for opposing the scheme without getting complete details of the project. AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan slammed both the BJP and the DMK.

“On the one hand, the BJP has not stated the merits of the Vishwakarma scheme or how it will benefit the state. On the other side, Stalin has not specified how the state-specific modifications that have been sought will benefit artisans,” he told The Federal.

“The BJP and DMK are only interested in painting a narrative that they are at loggerheads, and the DMK wants to create an impression that Stalin is the only saviour,” he added.

More clarity needed: AIADMK

Sathyan demanded that both the DMK and the BJP publish their letters in a public forum so that people can make an informed decision about whether to accept or reject the scheme.

He added that every initiative need not be looked at from the angle of caste, and the scheme should not simply be dismissed. ‘’The DMK is coming up with many fake narratives, stopping many central government schemes from being utilized in Tamil Nadu,” he contended.

Sathyan also argued that the central and state governments should have offered some clarity on the economic status of artisans, their present living conditions, and whether they are confined to caste-based jobs with data to back their respective claims.

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BJP’s denial

The BJP’s state vice-president Narayanan Thirupathy said the DMK was misleading the people and intentionally trying to paint the scheme as “caste-oriented”.

“The DMK is trying to create a notion that the scheme is caste-oriented. But the scheme clearly states that it is meant for workers such as goldsmiths, cobblers, tailors, boat-makers, etc. The scheme covers 18 professions. They must be equipped with new technology and instruments. The government just wants to give them financial and technical support to improve their livelihoods,” Thirupathy said.

Anyone bothered about artisans’ problems?

P Bagavatheeswaran, director of the Centre for Social Development, an organisation that trains artisans and takes their work to markets, is not impressed with the arguments of any political party.

He said they are opposing or supporting the scheme only for their political mileage, and the real problems of artisans are not being addressed.

“We have been organising training programmes and exhibitions for various artisans across Tamil Nadu for 40 years. We have engaged with institutions such as IIT-Madras and the National Institute of Design to connect traditional artisans with technological support. But the Vishwakarma scheme is nowhere connected to our plight. It should have been designed in consultation with artisan welfare organisations in each state instead of being a one-size-fits-all scheme,” he told The Federal.

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Conservation of craft need of the hour

While welcoming credit and marketing support offered in the scheme, Bagavatheeswaran questioned why the government cannot have a scheme to promote artisan products throughout the year.

“The Vishwakarma scheme should not be a one-time activity. India has thousands of handicrafts that are on the verge of extinction, and we very much need an initiative to preserve those crafts. The Union government wants to showcase a scheme, and the state government rejects it. Both are acts of political mileage. No in-depth study was conducted to formulate the scheme,” he said.

Bagavatheeswaran suggested that both the Union and state governments should work towards conserving crafts and improving the livelihood of artisans by bridging the gap between them and the market.