New Delhi, Aug 8: National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, extends concessional financial assistance to individuals or group of STs for undertaking income generation/ business activities for their economic empowerment. The financial assistance is extended through State Channelizing Agencies and certain PSU Banks/ RRBs and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) having refinance agreements with NSTFDC for eligible STs upto Double the Poverty Line Income limit which is Rs.98, 000/- p.a. for rural areas and Rs.1, 20,000/- p.a. for urban areas.
Some of the prominent schemes of NSTFDC are:
- Term Loan scheme: NSTFDC provides Term Loan for any income generation scheme costing uptoRs.25.00 lakhs per unit. Financial assistance is extended upto 90% of the cost of the scheme and the balance is met by way of subsidy/ promoter’s contribution/ margin money. Interest rate chargeable is 6% p.a. for loan uptoRs.5 lakhs, 8% p.a. for loans ranging between ₹Rs.5 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs and 10% p.a. for loan exceeding Rs.10 lakhs on the entire amount of loan.
- Adivasi Mahila Sashakti karanYojana (AMSY): Under the scheme, Scheduled Tribes women can undertake any income generation activity. Loans upto 90% for scheme costing upto Rs.1 lakh are provided at a concessional rate of interest of 4% p.a.
- Micro Credit Scheme for Self Help Groups: The Corporation provides loans upto Rs.50, 000/- per member and Rs.5 Lakhs per Self Help Group (SHG). Interest rate chargeable is 6% p.a.
- Adivasi Shiksha Rrinn Yojana: Under this scheme, financial assistance upto Rs.5.00 lakh at concessional rate of interest of 6% per annum is provided to ST students for pursuing professional/ technical education including Ph.D. in India. Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India provides interest subsidy for this scheme, whereby, no interest is payable by a student during the course period and one year or six months after getting the job, as the case may be. There is also a provision for providing further concessional finance for undertaking any income generation activity after completion of studies.
- Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme: Under the scheme, NSTFDC provides financial assistance to Scheduled Tribes given land rights under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Loan upto 90% of the scheme costing upto Rs.1 lakh can be provided at rate of interest of 6% p.a. This is a new scheme introduced and NSTFDC has requested the SCAs to implement the same.
- Scheme for NGOs/ EVAs: This is a newly launched scheme under which NSTFDC provides loans uptoRs.50, 000/- per member and Rs.5 Lakhs per Self Help Group (SHG) through NGOs/ EVAs. The interest rate chargeable is 12% p.a. from members of SHGs against which they will get an interest incentive of 4% on timely payment thus making the effective rate of interest to 8%.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
