Development of Handicrafts Scheme (Puducherry)

What is the Development of Handicrafts Scheme in Puducherry?

The Development of Handicrafts Scheme is run by the District Industries Centre under the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Government of Puducherry. The District Industries Centre states the objective as reviving "the vanishing crafts and restor[ing] the significance of traditional crafts", and developing skill "in order to create better employment opportunities and to boost the livelihood of rural people who have contributed a significant share to the exports of the Union Territory of Puducherry".

The scheme is a package rather than a single benefit. It carries a training component for young entrants, a pension for artisans who have aged out of active craft work, market access support through exhibitions, insurance cover, and institutional grants to handicrafts societies. A reader should identify which component fits before applying, because each has its own eligibility test.

Crafts practised in the Union Territory, as listed by the District Industries Centre: stone carving, pith craft, wood carving, serpentine stone carving, terracotta, Tanjore painting, leather goods, crochet, papier-mache, sea shell items, palm leaf articles, embroidery and applique works, mat weaving, jute crafts, pottery and clay toys and ceramic, cloth and stuffed dolls, decorative wax candles, hand knitted hammocks, cane and bamboo, glazed art pottery, dry flowers, jute and paper lamp shades, wire craft, and fibre craft.

Who is eligible under the Development of Handicrafts Scheme?

Eligibility differs by component.

Training in Handicrafts, you can apply if:

• You are aged 18 to 35 years.
• You are a native of the Union Territory of Puducherry or a continuous resident for three years.
• You are literate. No formal educational qualification is required, which makes this the most open of all the District Industries Centre training components.

Monthly Grant to Old Craftspersons (pension). You can apply if:

• You have attained the age of 60 years.
• You are a native, or a resident of at least five years, in the Union Territory.
• You have practised the craft for at least five years in the Union Territory.
• Your family income from all sources does not exceed Rs 75,000 per annum.
• You are not receiving a similar financial assistance from any other source.

Exhibition support. You can apply if you are an artisan having a handicrafts unit in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Society grants, a society can apply if it is registered as a co-operative society or under the Societies Act, its members are artisans approved by the State Government or the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), and it deals only in handicraft products produced by artisans of the Union Territory.

You are not eligible if:

• You are outside the age band for the component you want: over 35 for training, under 60 for pension.
• You are neither a native nor a qualifying resident of Puducherry.
• Your family income exceeds Rs 75,000 a year, for the pension.
• You already draw a similar assistance elsewhere, for the pension.
• You are an individual applying under the society grant component. Society grants are institutional and cannot be claimed as a personal benefit.

What are the benefit amounts?

Exhibition support also covers to and fro travel restricted to AC 3-tier train fare, with economy class air fare for State, National and Padma awardees, plus the cost of transporting goods, stall rent and interior decoration.

The pension runs from completion of 60 for the lifetime of the beneficiary, and must be renewed every year. After the beneficiary's death the spouse continues on the reduced rate for life, subject to still meeting the income criteria.

How to apply under the Development of Handicrafts Scheme

1. Decide which component applies to you, training, pension, exhibition support, insurance or a society grant. Each is assessed against different criteria.
2. Download the application form from the Development of Handicrafts page of dic.py.gov.in, where the "Application Form for Training" is listed, or collect the relevant form at the District Industries Centre counter.
3. Assemble the proofs — nativity or residence certificate, date of birth proof, Aadhaar and bank passbook copy for every component; an income certificate and evidence of five years of craft practice for the pension; unit details for exhibition support; and the registration certificate for a society grant.
4. Submit the form to the District Industries Centre, Industrial Estate, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009. Karaikal applicants submit at the Rural Industrial Estate, Kottucherry 609609; Yanam and Mahe applicants at the Civil Station offices in their regions. Training applications must be filed in August.
5. Attend selection for training, or await verification for the pension.
6. Renew the pension annually, since continuance depends on yearly renewal and on the family income still being within Rs 75,000 a year.

What is the annual calendar?

• July; advertisement for handicrafts training in local dailies.
• August: training application window.
• December; six-month training commences.
• Exhibition sponsorship follows the exhibition calendar and has no fixed window.
• Pension renewal falls due every year for each beneficiary.

How do I check my application status?

There is no online status tracker for this scheme. Call the District Industries Centre on +91-413-2248987, +91-413-2248391 or +91-413-2249392 with the date on which you submitted your form, or check the Notice Board and News sections of dic.py.gov.in during the selection season. Regional offices are reachable on +91-4368-266467 for Karaikal, +91-884-2321257 for Yanam and +91-490-233235 for Mahe.

For pension beneficiaries, a missed month is most often a renewal that has fallen due rather than a cancellation, so check the renewal date first.

Why do applications get rejected?

• Training applications filed outside August, which is a single-month window.
• Age over 35 for training, or under 60 for the pension.
• Family income above Rs 75,000 a year for the pension.
• Less than five years of craft practice in the Union Territory, for the pension.
• Already drawing a similar assistance from another source, which disqualifies a pension applicant outright.
• Residence proof falling short; three years for training, five years for the pension.
• Pension not renewed in the annual cycle, which stops payment.
• A society applying without a valid registration as a co-operative society or under the Societies Act, or dealing in products not made by Puducherry artisans.

Where do I raise a grievance?

• District Industries Centre, Industrial Estate, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009 to +91-413-2248987, 2248391, 2249392
• Directorate of Industries and Commerce, same address, +91-413-2248476, 2248168, 2248320
• District Industries Centre, Karaikal, Kottucherry 609609 to +91-4368-266467
• Email; dic.pon@nic.in
• Secretary to Government (Industries and Commerce), Chief Secretariat, Puducherry 605001 to +91-413-2336115

Application forms are free to download from dic.py.gov.in. Stipend, pension and allowances are paid into the beneficiary's own bank account, and no agent can charge a fee to arrange any of them.