National Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

The National Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) promotes economic upliftment of Scheduled Tribes through financial assistance, skill development, and entrepreneurship support.

Context: Coal India Limited and NSTFDC sign MoU to empower tribal students through Eklavya Model Residential Schools.

About National Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

National Scheduled Tribe Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) was set up in 2001 under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.

Governance

Managed by a Board of Directors.
Representation includes:
- Central Government
- State Channelising Agencies (SCAs)
- NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)
- IDBI (Industrial Development Bank of India)
- TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd.)
- 3 eminent persons from the Scheduled Tribes.

Objectives

Socio-economic and educational upliftment of Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Provide self-employment opportunities to promote economic independence and self-reliance.
Design and implement financial assistance schemes exclusively for STs.

Implementation

Works through State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) and banks to deliver credit.
Targets poor Scheduled Tribe families, generally with income ceilings (₹3 lakh per annum for most schemes).

Scheme	Details
Term Loan Scheme	For viable income generation/self-employment projects costing up to ₹ 50 lakh per unit, financial assistance of up to 90% of the project cost.
Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana (AMSY)	Exclusive for ST women. Projects costing up to ₹ 2 lakh; loan up to 90% of cost; concessional interest (~4% p.a.)
Micro-Credit Scheme for Self-Help Groups (SHGs)	For ST persons forming SHGs. Loan limit up to ₹ 5 lakh per SHG, with a per-member ceiling; concessional interest (~6% or lower
Adivasi Shiksha Rinn Yojana (ASRY) (Education Loan)	Enables ST students to pursue technical/professional education (including PhD) with financial help up to ₹ 10 lakh; subsidised/low interest; interest subsidy during course + moratorium period
Margin Money Support Scheme	Specifically to support ST entrepreneurs under the Stand-Up India scheme; it helps with margin money (i.e. capital required to start projects), etc.