The Assistant Director in Development Commission (Handicraft) of the Central Government, Mr. Biswa Mohan Mishra stated that, this year around 10,000 craftsmen families in the state of Orissa will be included in the Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swathya Bima Yojana.
This will bring the number of families to 40,000 as around 30,000 artisan families have already been covered under this scheme. The official stated this on the sidelines of an annual national handicraft and handloom fair held in Berhampur, the Silk City of the state.
Under this scheme, the artisans avail benefits including highly subsidized insurance schemes, educational support for children, accident benefits of Rs.100,000 and medical aid to four members of a family.
At present, there are around 150,000 craftsmen families in the state of Orissa, engaged in creating over 50 types of handicraft items.