SC and ST schemes for young Indians: education, business, and employment programmes

Pre-matric and post-matric scholarships, the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) for term loans, and Stand-Up India for entrepreneurship are the three largest national-level programmes for SC and ST youth. State governments run parallel coaching, hostel, and stipend programmes.

YouthPower tracks 524 schemes in this category, of which 64 are central government programmes and 460 are state government programmes.

What to look for when applying

Caste certificate from the competent authority is mandatory. Income ceilings apply for most scholarship programmes — usually 2.5 lakh to 8 lakh rupees per year, depending on the scheme. Application windows are time-bound and announced annually.

Named examples

• Agriculture And Processed Foods Export Promotion Scheme Of APEDA For The 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 To 2025-26) (Central · subsidy · Ministry Of Commerce And Industry)
  The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) is an export promotion scheme run by APEDA. The scheme aims to facilitate the export of agri-products by providing assistance to exporters.
• Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) (Central · other · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  The scheme aims to boost entrepreneurship and innovation among SC students and SC differently-abled youth by providing focused support to translate innovative, technology-oriented business ideas into successful commercial enterprises. It offers equity funding and hand-holding support.
• Bank Guarantee Charges Reimbursement Scheme (Central · subsidy · Ministry Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)
  Under the Ministry Of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Bank Guarantee Charges Reimbursement Scheme is a sub scheme under National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme.
• Bank Loan Processing Fee Reimbursement Scheme (Central · subsidy · Ministry Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)
  The Bank Loan Processing Fee Reimbursement Scheme comes under the purview of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) of the Government of India.
• CIFE - Institutional Fellowship (Central · scholarship · Ministry Of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)
  From the year 2010 onwards, the division is offering Masters and PhD in two disciplines namely Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology and Fish physiology and Biochemistry with an objective of moulding professionals with fundamental and advanced knowledge and expertise.
• Central Sector Scheme of National Fellowship for Providing Fellowship to Scheduled Caste Students to Pursue M.Phil. & PhD (Central · scholarship · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  The scheme provides opportunities to Scheduled Castes students to pursue higher education leading to M.Phil/Ph.D degrees in Sciences, Humanities and Social Science streams. The objective of the scheme is to provide fellowships in the form of financial assistance to SC students.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Upgradation of Merit of Scheduled Caste Students (Central · scholarship · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  The scheme aims to upgrade the merit of Scheduled Caste students by providing them with facilities for all round development through education in residential or non-residential schools, addressing their educational deficiencies that prevent them from taking advantage of reservation quotas.
• Centrally-Sponsored Scheme Of Pre-Matric Scholarship For Scheduled Caste Students Studying In Classes 9th & 10th (Central · scholarship · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  A scholarship scheme by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for regular, full-time students from Scheduled Castes studying in Class 9th and 10th in a Govt. School / a School recognized by Govt. / CBSE / State Board of Secondary Education.
• Coaching Schemes For Sc/st/obc (non-creamy Layer) & Minority Students For Universities (Central · training · Ministry Of Minority Affairs)
  Coaching schemes for students belonging to SC (Scheduled Caste), ST (Scheduled Tribe), OBC (Other Backward Classes) (non-creamy layer), and minority communities are implemented to provide them with equal opportunities and support in pursuing higher education.
• Credit Based Schemes For SC - Term Loan (TL) (Central · loan · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  A loan scheme by Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment for Entrepreneur of Scheduled Caste Category.
• Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme For The Scheduled Castes (Central · loan · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  a loan scheme by the Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment for Entrepreneurs of Scheduled Caste Category.
• Education Loan Scheme (Central · loan · Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment)
  A scheme named Education Loan Scheme by National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) under the M/o Social Justice and Empowerment provides loans to students from Scheduled Castes who are pursuing full-time professional or technical courses in recognized institutions.

The most active ministries in this category are Ministry Of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Education, Ministry Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry Of Tribal Affairs, Ministry Of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

States with the highest number of dedicated state-government schemes in this category are Gujarat, All, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Goa, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu.

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