the goan I network
PANAJI
A new loan-cum-subsidy scheme to boost self-employment and entrepreneurship among youth of the nearly two-lakh-strong Goan tribal community was notified earlier this week by the State government’s Department of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC).
Members of Goa’s notified tribal communities - Gauda, Kunbi and Velip - in the age group of 18 to 45 years and holding educational qualifications of standard IV and above are eligible for the scheme which entails 95 percent of the project cost as loan, of which 40 percent will be a subsidy.
Named as “Goa Tribal’s Employment Generation Programme (GTEGP) Scheme” it sets an upper-limit of Rs 25 lakhs per project in the Micro and Small Manufacturing Enterprises category and of Rs 15 lakhs for other categories such as Service and Trade enterprises.
The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been appointed as the agency to administer the scheme and funds sanctioned in the budget by the government for rural employment generation under the tribal sub-plan will be transferred to the agency by the DITC.
An initial amount of Rs 2 crores to operate the scheme will be transferred and once it is exhausted, EDC will periodically claim additional funds up to Rs 3 crores with a resolution of its Board.
In the MSME category, for which up to Rs 25 lakhs can be availed as loan with 40 per cent of it as subsidy, the scheme lists food production, manufacturing of domestic plastic and metal instruments as some of the types of proposals eligible.
Units making school and police uniforms, ancillary products for bigger industrial units, rice and flour mills or those making poultry and cattle feed are also eligible in the MSME category.
The units can be set up in the beneficiary’s house campus or in a community industrial shed constructed by the panchayat or a co-operative Society as a cluster.
The cost of the project should include the value of the shed, the scheme stipulates.
In the service sector, tribal youth can avail of up to Rs 15 lakhs loan, again with an inbuilt subsidy component of 40 per cent for ventures like taxi or motorbike service, taxi car, passenger rickshaw, goods carrier, modern saloon, beauty parlour, motor bike and car workshops, tyre vulcanizing, truck and bus workshops.
In the third category of trading, the scheme lists grocery shops, tyre shops, stationery shops, hotel, tea shop, electrical goods shop, plumbing materials shop, purchase of agricultural products from villages and selling to city markets as the type of ventures for which the tribal youth will be eligible for the assistance.
The EDC will sanction the loan of up to 95% of the project cost and the balance 5% will have to be contributed by the beneficiary from his or her own sources.
A task force committee to govern the scheme is constituted with EDC managing director as chairman and Deputy Director of Tribal Welfare, a representative of Association of Tribals appointed by the Director of Tribal Welfare, the Deputy Director of DITC and a chartered accountant nominated by the State government, as members.
ABOUT THE SCHEME
Eligibility: Members of Goa’s notified tribal communities - Gauda, Kunbi and Velip - in the age group of 18 to 45 years and holding educational qualifications of standard IV and above
CATEGORY: Rs 25 lakhs per project in the Micro and Small Manufacturing Enterprises (MSME) category and Rs 15 lakhs for other categories such as Service and Trade enterprises
Subsidy: 95 percent of the project cost can be availed of as loan, of which 40% will be a subsidy
The EDC will sanction the loan of up to 95% of the
project cost and the balance 5% will have to be borne by
the beneficiary
