Gur Saroop Sood, IDAS

Chairman-cum-Managing Director

National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) is an apex organization for providing financial assistance under Ministry of Tribal Affairs. This Corporation was setup in April, 2001 in order to give an exclusive focus for economic upliftment of Scheduled Tribes. NSTFDC provides financial assistance at concessional rates of interest varying between 4%-8% to STs having annual family income upto Double the Poverty Line limit.

Financial assistance of NSTFDC is extended under a bouquet of schemes. One of the flagship schemes of NSTFDC is Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana (AMSY), exclusively meant for empowerment of ST women. Under this, financial assistance is extended for projects costing upto ` 50,000/- at a highly concessional interest rate of 4% p.a. Assistance is also extended to Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Micro Credit Scheme. The maximum loan extendable under this scheme is ` 5.00 lakhs per SHG with a ceiling of ` 35,000/- per member. In addition, NSTFDC is having Term Loan and Marketing Support Assistance Schemes, the details of these schemes and other schemes are available in this user-friendly website.

The STs, meeting the eligibility criteria, can approach State Chennelising Agencies (SCAs) for availing concessional financial assistance. The State-wise contact details of SCAs are available in this website. In addition, NSTFDC has entered into agreements with five PSU banks, namely: Dena Bank, UCO Bank, Syndicate Bank, Vijaya Bank and Union Bank of India and also with five Regional Rural Banks, namely: Vananchal Gramin Bank, Tripura Gramin Bank, Dena Gujarat Gramin Bank, Assam Gramin Vikas Bank and Baroda Gujarat Gramin Bank. The STs intending to avail NSTFDC’s concessional finance can also approach branches of these banks.

NSTFDC is providing financial assistance to schemes at grassroots level. Some of the successfully implemented schemes by STs are Tailoring, Dhaba, Provision Store, Furniture Shop, Irrigation Borewell, Fruit and Vegetable Shop, Beauty Parlour, Piggery, Dairy, Poultry, Guest House cum Lodge, Paddy Husking, and Vegetable Cultivation etc. This is only an indicative list and any viable Income Generating Activity is eligible for NSTFDC’s assistance.

This Corporation is continuously focusing on generating awareness amongst the Scheduled Tribes. For the purpose, this Corporation has brought out guidelines in various regional and tribal languages. NSTFDC also publishes advertisements in regional newspapers about its programmes. In addition, this Corporation, along with TRIFED, has signed a tripartite MoU with National Literacy Mission Authority, Directorate of Adult Education (DAE), Ministry of Human Resource Development. Under this arrangement, the STs trained by Jan Shikshan Sansthans of DAE become eligible for financial assistance from NSTFDC. A functional arrangement has also been arrived at with Office of the Development Commissioner, Handicrafts and Directorate General of Employment and Training for generating awareness amongst STs and financing them.

This Corporation, since inception, has sanctioned financial assistance of about ` 900 Crore to over 3 lakh ST beneficiaries under Income Generating Activities. This Corporation has, however, taken up an ambitious target of covering at least 50 lakh ST families over the next 20 years. In this regard, the Corporation has undertaken a Business Process Re-engineering Study through a reputed organization for designing a Strategic Action Plan. This plan shall guide NSTFDC in its endeavour of covering larger number of needy STs in a not too distant future.

Please send your Feedback/ suggestions on nstfdc@bol.net.in

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