CHENNAI: The secular progressive alliance parties and their allies have announced a massive agitation here on September 6 condemning the "Vishwakarma Yojana" scheme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A decision to this effect was taken at an all-party meeting comprising Dravidar Kazhagam, DMK, Congress, Left parties, MDMK, VCK, MMK and a few Dravidian outfits. The meeting held at DK headquarters condemned the union government for promoting hereditary occupation through the Vishwakarma Yojana scheme for which the PM announced Rs 13,000 crore in his Independence Day speech.

The scheme offers to provide loan to youths upon completing 18 years to pursue 18 different type of vocation, including carpentry, goldsmith, locksmith, blacksmith, potter and cobbler.

Remarking that the scheme would discourage youths to pursue higher education and take up their hereditary occupation, a joint statement issued by the aforesaid parties alleged that the BJP regime was promoting kula kalvi (Hereditary education) and attempting to promote hereditary occupation at a time when the sections of the society, who have been denied education for generations, have braved the odds and started accessing higher education.