Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), is a skilling initiative from MoMA focussing on the skilling, entrepreneurshipand leadership training requirements of the minority and artisan communities across the country. The scheme is intended to be implemented in convergence with the ‘Skill India Mission’ of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and through integration with the Skill India Portal (SIP).

The scheme has the following components aiming to benefit approximately 9 lakh candidates the 15th Finance Commission Cycle:

1. Skilling and Training Component

1. Traditional Training sub-component (earlier known as USTTAD and Hamari Dharohar) primarily covers training in need-based courses for minority artisan communities and their family members who are engaged in traditional arts and crafts including languishing art forms. The objective is to generate means to create better livelihood opportunities, assist in establishing linkages with domestic and global markets, facilitate credit linkages and self-employment, as well as to preserve and enrich heritage of Indian arts and crafts. The component aims to benefit 1 lakh artisans.
2. Non-traditional Skilling sub-component (earlier known as Seekho aur Kamao) would seek to impart skill training, particularly to minorities and artisan families, in NSQF compliant job roles in sectors having linkages with arts and crafts, job roles complementing their existing work, and establish employment linkages for them. The component aims to benefit 5 lakh youth.

2.Leadership and Entrepreneurship Component (earlier Nai Roshni) - This component seeks to promote leadership development and basic entrepreneurship primarily among youth from minority communities and artisan families through focused modules. The Entrepreneurship sub-component within this component, aims to exclusively handhold women trained in leadership and basic entrepreneurship on an intensive entrepreneurship training. Further, it intends to select aspiring women entrepreneurs, from amongst those trained, to become Business Mentors (to be known as ‘Biz Sakhis’ in the scheme) and promote establishment of individual or group enterprises for the same. This component aims to cover 2 lakh women for the 60-hour leadership training, out of which 1 lakh shall undergo a 100 hour entrepreneurship training. 10,000 out of these women shall further undergo 240 hour training and shall be equipped to become business correspondents (Biz Sakhis)

3. Education Component (earlier Nai Manzil) - This component aims to provide education bridge program to school dropouts from minority and artisan communities for pursuing open schooling in class 8th, 10th, and 12th and provide them certification through National Institute of Open School (NIOS) or any other institution(s) approved by MoMA. The component aims to benefit 1 lakh youth.

For the implementation of PM VIKAS scheme, the Ministry aims to select art & craft clusters in Minority Concentrated Areas (MCAs). The scheme shall also aim to converge with other Ministries like Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Education along with Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to ensure holistic development of minorities in the identified clusters.