New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday that during the upcoming Vishwakarma Diwas, the Centre will launch "Vishwakarma Yojana" where all the artisans and skilled workers, who mostly belong to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) community, would be given benefits worth Rs 15,000 crore.

In his Independence Day address on Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi said the scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Diwas in September.

"For all our workers, artisans who mostly belong to the OBC community, we will launch the Vishwakarma Yojana on the occasion of the forthcoming Vishwakarma Diwas, where around Rs 15,000 crore would be provided to them," the Prime Minister said.

He also informed that to support agri-tech sector and strengthen women self help groups (SHGs), around 15,000 drones would be provided to them and for this purpose, training will be imparted to such groups.

Modi said that these schemes are in line with several initiatives of the government like Jan Dhan Yojana, PM SvaNidhi scheme, and Ujjwala scheme, among others.