Training in Handicrafts Component of the Development of Handicrafts Scheme (Puducherry)

What is Training in Handicrafts in Puducherry?

Training in Handicrafts is the entry-level skilling component of the Development of Handicrafts scheme, run by the District Industries Centre under the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Government of Puducherry. The District Industries Centre states the object as developing "the skills in handicrafts in order to create better employment opportunities and to boost the livelihood of rural poor".

The component's defining feature is its teaching method. The District Industries Centre describes it as "the Gurukulam kind of training", which it explains as "learning the skill of the craft in its environment". The trainee works alongside a master craftsperson in that craftsperson's own working setting for six months; not in a classroom, and not on a syllabus.

The wider Development of Handicrafts scheme exists, in the department's words, to revive vanishing crafts and restore the significance of traditional crafts. This training component is the pipeline that keeps those crafts staffed, which is why the eligibility bar is set so low: no formal educational qualification is prescribed at all.

Who is eligible for 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 you have been a continuous resident of the Union Territory for at least three years. The rule covers Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.
• You are literate. The District Industries Centre states plainly that "no formal educational qualification is required", and the Directorate's scheme document describes the target as "any literate youth".

You are not eligible if:

• You are under 18 or over 35 years of age on the reckoning date.
• You are neither a native of Puducherry nor a three-year continuous resident of the Union Territory.
• You apply outside the August window, since applications are not carried forward.

Separate criteria apply to the trainer rather than the trainee. The Directorate's scheme document requires that "the training institutions/trainers should have sufficient infrastructure facilities in their field", so a master craftsperson taking trainees must be able to demonstrate a working craft setup.

What does Training in Handicrafts pay?

Over the six-month course a trainee draws Rs 27,000 in total.

The two ceilings on the master craftsperson's payments are worth reading together. At Rs 900 per trainee capped at Rs 9,000, a master craftsperson is funded for up to ten trainees at a time. The wastage compensation follows the same shape, Rs 450 per trainee capped at Rs 4,500, again ten trainees. That pair of caps effectively sets the size of a training batch under this component.

For comparison, the same District Industries Centre pays Rs 4,500 a month on Training in Coir for the same six-month period, and Rs 4,500 to Rs 9,000 a month on the one-year In-Plant Training which requires SSLC as a minimum. Training in Handicrafts pays the same base rate as those components while asking for no qualification at all.

Which crafts are covered?

The District Industries Centre lists 24 crafts practised in the Union Territory:

• Stone carving, serpentine stone carving, wood carving
• Pith craft, terracotta, Tanjore painting
• Leather goods, crochet, papier-mache
• Sea shell items, palm leaf articles
• Embroidery and applique works, mat weaving
• Jute crafts, jute and paper lamp shades
• Pottery, clay toys and ceramic, glazed art pottery
• Cloth and stuffed dolls, decorative wax candles
• Hand knitted hammocks, cane and bamboo
• Dry flowers, wire craft, fibre craft

The trades actually notified for training in any given year depend on the master craftspersons available and are published with the July advertisement.

How to apply for Training in Handicrafts

1. Watch for the July advertisement. The District Industries Centre floats the notice in local dailies during July, naming the crafts and the seats sanctioned for the coming batch.
2. Download the Application Form for Training from the Training in Handicrafts page of dic.py.gov.in, where it appears as a listed downloadable document, or collect it at the District Industries Centre counter.
3. Attach the enclosures, nativity or residence certificate, date of birth proof, Aadhaar, bank passbook copy and passport size photographs.
4. Submit the completed form during August at the District Industries Centre, Industrial Estate, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009. Karaikal applicants submit at the Rural Industrial Estate, Kottucherry 609609; Yanam applicants at the Civil Station, Yanam 533464; Mahe applicants at the Civil Station, Mahe
6. Attend selection, where candidates are matched to the crafts and master craftspersons available.
7. Report in December, when the six-month training commences, and confirm your bank details so the Rs 4,500 monthly stipend begins on schedule.

How do I check my application status?

Status is tracked offline for this component. Call the District Industries Centre on +91-413-2248987, +91-413-2248391 or +91-413-2249392, quoting the date of submission. Karaikal applicants should call +91-4368-266467, Yanam applicants +91-884-2321257 and Mahe applicants +91-490-233235. The email address on record is dic.pon@nic.in.

Selection lists, where published, appear on the Notice Board and News sections of dic.py.gov.in between the close of applications in late August and the December commencement.

Why do applications get rejected?

• Applying outside August. The window is a single calendar month and applications are not held over to the next batch.
• Age above 35 on the reckoning date.
• Residence proof that does not establish three continuous years in the Union Territory for a non-native applicant. This is the single most common documentary failure, because a recent Aadhaar address does not prove three years.
• No bank account in the trainee's own name, which stops the stipend even after selection.
• Applying for a craft not notified in the current cycle. The notified crafts depend on which master craftspersons are available that year.
• Incomplete enclosures, especially the nativity certificate and photographs.

Age is the criterion with no flexibility. A craftsperson over 35 who wants to upgrade skills should look instead at Design Development Training for Master Crafts Persons, which has no age limit and is meant for artisans already running a craft unit.

What comes after the training?

Training in Handicrafts is designed to lead into craft work rather than into a guaranteed job. The same Development of Handicrafts scheme carries the follow-on supports an artisan will need:

• Exhibition support: travel restricted to AC 3-tier train fare, plus a daily allowance of Rs 1,000 per day in A1 cities, Rs 600 per day in other cities and Rs 400 per day locally, along with stall rent and transport of goods. Open to any artisan having a handicrafts unit in the Union Territory.
• Insurance Scheme for Artisans: cover under Janashree Bima Yojana of LIC or another suitable policy, with the premium met under the scheme.
• Monthly Grant to Old Craftspersons — Rs 5,000 a month from age 60, and Rs 2,500 a month to the surviving spouse, where family income is within Rs 75,000 a year.
• Design Development Training for Master Crafts Persons, for artisans with more than three years of running a craft unit, with remuneration of Rs 3,000 per month and accommodation of Rs 1,000 per month during the course.

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
• Email: dic.pon@nic.in
• Secretary to Government (Industries and Commerce), Chief Secretariat, Puducherry 605001 to +91-413-2336115

The application form is free and the stipend is paid directly into the trainee's own bank account. No agent can secure a training seat.