MSME lays out new guidelines for pottery, beekeeping activities

The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ministry on Thursday said it has come out with new guidelines for two schemes - pottery and beekeeping activities.

It said that for pottery activity, the government will provide assistance of pottery wheel, clay blunger, and granulator.

"It will also provide wheel pottery training for traditional pottery artisans and Press Pottery training for pottery as well as non-pottery artisans in Self Help Groups," it added.

This is being done to enhance the production, technical knowhow of pottery artisans and to develop new products at reduced costs; and to enhance the income of pottery artisans through training and modern/automated equipment.

A total of 6,075 traditional and others (non-traditional) pottery artisans/rural un-employed youth/migrant labourers will get benefited from this scheme.

"As financial support for the year 2020-21, an amount of Rs 19.50 crore will be expended to support 6,075 artisans...Additional amount of Rs 50 crore has been provisioned for setting up of clusters in terracotta, red clay pottery, with new innovative value-added products to build pottery to crockery/ tile making capabilities, under SFURTI scheme of the ministry," it added.

For beekeeping activity, the government will provide assistance of bee boxes, and tool kits.

"Under this scheme, bee boxes, with bee colonies, will also be distributed to migrant workers in Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (PMGKRA) districts," it said.

To begin with, it said the scheme proposes to cover, during 2020-21, a total of 2050 beekeepers, entrepreneurs, farmers, unemployed youth, adivasis will get benefitted from these projects/programme.

"For this purpose a financial support of Rs 13 crore during 2020-21 has been provisioned to support 2050 artisans," it added.